Remember a time when remote work was a benefit offered to only a few? Now it is the norm; we are all working remotely.
As sales professionals, we’ve had to find ways to continue to make calls, have meetings, make our sales targets and refresh our pipeline. And while securing appointments may have been tough for businesses, remote sales presentations have been a real challenge.
According to McKinsey & Company, 90% of B2B decision-makers believe that remote and digital selling is here for the long run. So it’s time to fine-tune your remote sales presentation skills!
Here are our foolproof steps to nailing every remote sales presentation:
1. Create an attention-grabbing sales deck
Have you ever heard of the expression “Death by PowerPoint”? When creating your sales deck, bear in mind that your audience will be watching your presentation on a small screen. So you want to keep your presentation clean and easy to read. Use a mix of text and visuals to get your message across. If you don’t have the time or expertise to design a sleek presentation, outsource it.
Your sales deck needs to hold your prospects attention while you go through your key points. Allow for regular pauses so that your key points have time to land and so that your prospect can study your visuals.
2. Camera-on video call
Being on-camera can be uncomfortable. A lot of people don’t want to have their camera on. But it is crucial for both you and your prospect to have their camera on throughout the presentation. Having your camera on during a sales call is the next best thing to meeting in person. You can read their body language and facial expressions during the presentation, and it allows you to adjust your pitch as needed.
You need to set the expectation that your prospect will have their camera on during the meeting. On the invitation to your presentation, ensure that you call the presentation a video call or a video meeting. If they don’t turn on their video when they join, just ask them to. If they still don’t turn it on, proceed with your camera on and don’t push the issue.
3. Practice run through
I was recently on a video meeting where the host had multiple tech issues. It was hard to sit there and watch the seconds pass while they tried to figure out the tech side of the meeting. It was hard for them to get their credibility back.
Do a run-through of your presentation with a few colleagues. Test out sharing your screen, using the chat function, how to share a link. Make sure you know what buttons to press, how to fix any issues that pop up quickly. Or better yet, see if the colleague can co-host the meeting with you, so if tech issues arise, they may be able to solve the issue in the background as you continue with your presentation.
4. Engage on a personal level
Think of how you would run a face to face presentation. You wouldn’t dive straight into your pitch; you would take your time creating a personal connection before starting the presentation.
There are simple ways to connect – ask them how they are coping with the current Covid situation. Tell them how you are coping with the changing restrictions. Be a real person so that you can establish a connection with them and use that connection to keep them focused on your presentation.
5. Ask high-quality questions
Keep your audience interested in your presentation by asking questions throughout. Keep in mind that your slides are not the entire conversation; they are a guide.
You will have a couple of slides that are your key slides. Have questions ready for those key slides that will captivate your audience. Asking questions will keep your audience focused on your presentation, it will keep them engaged, and it will allow you to gather information for your close. In can feel weird at first in a virtual meeting to ask questions but just go for it.
6. Summarise your presentation
You want your main points to stick. To do that you need to reiterate those points so that your prospect remembers them. Pull no more than three key points out and put them on your conclusion slide.
What your prospect will remember most is the benefit your solution offers to them personally. That is what you want to highlight on that last slide.
7. Go through your close
Your prospect has given you their time, they have listened to your presentation, and they are showing interest. It is better to start closing while the prospect is considering your solution.
Use the information you already have and the closing process that you use in face to face meetings to move your prospect closer to a deal. Find out what needs to happen for your prospect to become a customer. Set some clear next steps so that everyone leaves the meeting, knowing exactly what they need to do.
8. Follow up like a pro
The best approach to a follow-up after a virtual meeting is to send a quick review of the call, including the next steps and when you will be in touch next. Set the expectation straight away that actions have been set.
Follow up at the time you set and continue to follow up regularly with the prospect until the deal is done or it blows out.
9. Record and learn
While it is painful to sit and watch a video of yourself talking and delivering a presentation, it is the best way to learn from your mistakes and improve your presentation skills is to listen and refine.
Pay attention to what you said and your prospect’s reaction. Test out different presentation skills, intros, endings and questions to see what is more impactful.
Train your sales mindset to believe that you can win at remote sales presentations. Don’t be afraid to try new things in your remote sales presentations. Do the prep work, ensure you have the tech side sorted and keep your audience engaged.
We understand the demand for quality leads and the need for your team to meet those demands. We are here to help and add value by finding tangible, highly qualified leads where we have secured a date and a time for an appointment. These individuals are in your target audience, at the right decision-making level and have an interest in your solution. Taking away this pressure from your Sales team allows them to focus their time on closing deals and generating revenue.
If you are considering outsourcing your appointment setting, contact us by email info@integrileads.com or phone (+353) 00353 87 3932630. Follow us on LinkedIn for all of our latest updates.
