IS FACE-TO-FACE SELLING DEAD?
The answer is – not quite, but it is on life support.
The pandemic has completely changed our buying and selling behaviors. We have reached an inflection point and are now transitioning to a “new normal” in selling — and this is a transformation that is as dramatic as when we moved to the internet economy in the late 1990’s.
As a B2B salesperson, it is my preference to sell by meeting with the prospects in person at their offices. This offers many advantages, including the opportunity to greet the attendees before and after the meeting, and during breaks. It is easier to observe the dynamics of interpersonal relationships and read body language for reactions during the meeting. In-person meetings are naturally more informal and it is easier to receive immediate feedback. Much of this cannot occur with web meetings.
I am more effective when I converse with and handle the questions of buyers while sitting around a table, in a workshop or a classroom-style setting. It suits my style of building trusted relationships with people. The onset of shelter-in-place and physical distancing orders, and company travel restrictions, make that no longer possible. Meetings that were previously scheduled in person have been replaced by less optimal web video-enabled meetings, which are barriers to building trust. An adjustment needs to be made by the salesperson to compensate for the lack of meeting people and “looking them in the eye.” Our usual practice of hand-shaking when being introduced is now a practice that will be discouraged, even when we resume in-person meetings.
I believe we have now transitioned to a “new normal” in selling. We are not going back to the way it was before March, 2020. Once the pandemic is over, I predict that most companies will try to schedule most meetings via video-conference, rather than in-person. This will occur because of the availability of excellent digital tools that have made remote video conferencing more accessible and easier for groups to collaborate; we have become more accustomed and proficient with it; many people desire to and thrive working remotely; but mostly because of cost considerations. If a company can save the travel expenses of sending two or more people to visit a company they will do so, as often as possible, even if they acknowledge that face-to-face selling is more effective. Your Chief Fianncial Officer has reviewed the results for the first half of 2019 and has seen that a 10-20 percent drop in sales revenue, for example, coupled with a 90 percent drop in travel expenses, lowers the cost of sales – and substantially increases profitability. Companies will encourage all of the initial and secondary meetings to occur virtually, but allow travel once you reach the “best few” stage with the prospect.
Another positive that has arisen from the pandemic environment is that prospects are more accessible by telephone and video than they previously were, possibly because many are no longer in myriads of internal meetings or traveling to business meetings outside their offices. They also may be more willing to listen to your pitches because some have become bored with working at home.
Also, companies are now less concerned with the need for salespeople to go into their offices and are more comfortable that you will work with less supervision.
To best transition to this new style of selling the salesperson needs to consider these nine suggestions:
- You should have more telephone, or video, conversations with the buying team before the sales presentation than in the past. That is the only way you can build relationships with the buyers, in the absence of a personal visit, and learn more about what they are trying to accomplish. You need to stress the importance and mutual benefit of these calls. Don’t abuse the prospect’s time – keep the calls short and to the point
- It is likely many of the people on your call have not previously met you, so you need to create more effective meeting introductions with video-conference than you likely did in person. It should consist of greater discussion of the project background, as well as a greater explanation of the goals of the meeting.The construction of the meeting agenda, before the meeting, is critical. It should cover all of the areas that are important to the buyer and should be agreed upon in advance. Also, the content needs to be able to be covered comfortably within the timeframe. It is important that the meeting does not end prematurely, without a close, because you have run out of time. It is much easier to hang up on a video call than leave a meeting room.
- Don’t fall victim to video conferences rife with technical or audio difficulties, mostly due to unfamiliarity with the platform being used or internet access issues. Contact the attendees in advance to familiarize them with the software and ask them to access the meeting at least ten minutes before the beginning to work out any issues. Be sure to allow for the time delay in most videoconference software, which sometimes results in synchronization issues. Meetings can be recorded for those that could not attend. It is a poor substitute for attending it live but offers you the opportunity to reach any absent person.
- Remove all possible home distractions that may interfere with the video, such as poor room lighting or sun issues (make sure that a window is not in your background as the camera will darken the screen), clanging pots and pans, dishwashers, flushing toilets, bubbling aqauriums, barking dogs, vacuum cleaners and curious children or cats. If you live on a busy street where there might be emergency vehicles, I suggest that you arrange for a quiet space, perhaps at the local public library. Also, be sure that your background is neutral and does not contain inappropriate personal items. Ensure that you have good posture and that your upper body is centered on the video screen. Do not get too close to the camera — I suggest a distance of 1 to 2 feet.
- If the presenter is not the salesperson there should be complete agreement on the outline of the meeting and the roles of each person. The salesperson should be very active during the meeting, with interruptions to check-point whether there are any questions, a desire to go into an area that was not on the agenda or if the agenda needs to be altered because of time constraints.
- Video-conferencing will free up time that salespeople have spent traveling and will allow more time for you to contact more prospects. This should result in greater productivity and results, even considering the probable decrease of the win/close ratio due to the lack of in-person contact.
- Be mindful of video fatigue. Many corporate leaders are now spending the majority of their day on video-conferences. Since your competitors are also doing video-conferencing, what can you do to make yours different and more interesting? Hint: It is not a long, boring PowerPoint presentation.
- Update your marketing collateral and product information to reflect the different reality. For example, delete images of people shaking hands or in large meetings without masks This will emphasize that you are current with trends.
- Contact more prospects with the extra time you have now that you’re not traveling. This should result in increased sales productivity and results, even considering the probable decrease in the win/close ratio due to the lack of in-person contact.
The coronavirus pandemic is not just impacting the style of B2B sales, it is also transforming real-estate, insurance and financial advisor/wealth management practices, and our secondary and university level education has been shifted to video instruction as well.
Companies that have used tele-sales or inside sales will have an easier time making this transition, as this is not a significant change to their style of selling. We can learn from them how to best utilize telephone scripts, emails, PowerPoint presentations and product demonstrations. Also, millennials will have an easier time with this transition, as they are more accustomed to using the web for communication.
The change to video sales is a new paradigm for B2B selling and will require an adjustment. Successful salespeople will be able to adjust to the change and take advantage of the opportunities afforded to contact more prospects.
