AUGUST 2014
Issue: 89

 
Online Selling

 
 
 

In last month's TTS newsletter  we discussed how to Build a Sales Team Culture of Excellence.

 

One thing we stressed was the need to create a  

a self-learning organization by setting aside time each week with your team to focus on improving strategic and consultative selling skills.

 

This month I would like to suggest an important topic for your weekly meetings. That is, selling online. Sales pros must know how to consult with your clients and discuss your solution via the web! 

 

It's no news that sales is changing dramatically.  Changes in technology result in more online communication vs. traditional face-to-face interaction. Make no mistake: face-to-face consulting is not going away. In fact, I feel confident that face-to-face selling will never go away for those who work in B2B sales. Like everything, it will evolve with technology. I made a point of saying "traditional" face-to-face selling because video conferencing and screen sharing programs have made tremendous leaps in simplicity, quality and cost over the past several years. You should expect that change to continue at a rapid pace. Face-to-face selling can be accomplished without the hassle, time and cost of "in person" selling.

 

So, all sales pro's need to transfer their strategic and consultative selling abilities to the online environment NOW. As a first step, you need to become very familiar with a screen sharing conferencing tool. I prefer Join.Me for its simplicity, low cost, ease of use, branding and features (please note that I have no relationship with this company). Webex, Adobe and GotoMeeting offer similar screen sharing capabilities.

 

As a role play exercise, every sales pro needs to be able to prepare a formal meeting or presentation using just the screen sharing tool and a phone. In fact, if I were interviewing a new sales candidate, I would require this as a key test during the interview.  

 

Sometimes the need to screen share arises unexpectedly during a phone call, at which time the pro should be able to quickly transition from a phone call to a full teleconference with screen sharing. For example, you may be speaking with a major client who voices an objection about the size or footprint of your solution. Within seconds, you should be able to direct your client to a customized, branded screen share link where you can put his issue to rest. See, for instance, my link at join.me/trusttriangleselling.  

 

Here are the key points to consider before, during and after your online presentation or meeting:

 

Before

Do your homework! Do you understand your client's top three challenges, goals, objectives, needs, and opportunities? How well do you know your client? Use online research tools to your advantage.

 

Assimilate and remind yourself of the quotations on the side of this newsletter. All very important! 

   

Review the meeting prep script and send a professional Outlook or Google meeting invite. It should include the following: 

  • Meeting Time
  • Meeting Date (with correct time zone)
  • Meeting Web link
  • Meeting Goals/Objectives

Customize your landing page or personal background page. Your personal background is an image that folks see while waiting for you to start the meeting and when the meeting is over. Here's my landing page as an example: https://join.me/trusttriangleselling

 

Additionally, prepare and customize a welcoming landing page for your clients to see once they are allowed into the meeting and are viewing your desktop.


Be prepared. Think about all the possible files you will need and open them in separate windows. You need to be ready to navigate quickly to any of these files if necessary.

You may find that the client needs to point to something or guide the presentation in some fashion. You would then need to pass control of your desktop to your client. Practice this! The transfer must be seamless. Any slip-ups reflect on your professionalism.

 

During

Check into the meeting very early to insure that all of your technology is working perfectly. Remember Vince Lombardi's warning: "If you are on time, you are late."  

 

Close all windows that contain any personal data. Your clients will be viewing your desktop and could naturally be offended to see your favorite shopping site or social media site open for all to view.

 

Just like a traditional face-to-face meeting, you will need to open the conference with pleasantries and easy rapport. Your client's time is extremely valuable. Don't go overboard. Quickly transition into gaining commitment on the objectives and time commitments for the meeting and proceed.

 

At the end of your meeting you will summarize key issues and formalize action items, owners of the action items, and next steps associated with the Critical Event Timeline.

 

As the sales superstar you are the quarterback of the meeting and it is incumbent upon you to stick to the call's objectives and time commitments. If you really want to make an impact, finish early, prior to the time allotted. I have never been in any meeting that could not have been finished earlier! Remember: half the time, twice the benefit! Proper homework and preparation is the key to accomplishing this.

   

After

Immediately after the call, be a sales superstar and send an e-mail with these sections:

  • Thank You: express your appreciation for your client's time commitment to the meeting.
  • Key Points Summary:  summarize the main points of the meeting in bullet form.
  • Action Items/Owners: include a table with the headings, "Action Item, Owner, and Completion Date."
  • Closing: conclude by saying, "I'll plan to follow up with you on the progress of these open action items next Friday morning if I don't hear from you before then."

Whether you are an sales superstar or sales leader, you should be setting aside a certain amount of time per week to improve your selling skills. Be sure to commit the time necessary to improve your online selling skills!  


Good Selling! 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trust Triangle Selling Unveils The Sales Strategizer-Pro™, the First Deal-closing Application for the iPhone, iPad and iTouch.

Strat Pro With Hand

For info and details go to:
WWW.SALESSTRATEGIZER.COM






Dan's book won a Medal
from Sales Books Awards!

medal
For more information on Dan's book go
here
 Building Trust, Growing Sales
How to Master Complex, High End Sales Using The Principles of
Trust Triangle Selling™

Book Cover
 

 

Daniel Adams
Adams and Associates
263 Barefoot Beach Blvd. Suite #405
Bonita Springs, FL  34134
TEL: 630.215.5090

Email: [email protected]

Web:  www.trusttriangleselling.com


Copyright � 2014 Adams & Associates. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Adams & Associates is prohibited and strictly enforced.



FOR INSPIRATION:
 

 

 

 

 

"Effective presentations are all about the 3 P's:

  1. Preparation  
  2. Preparation
  3. Preparation."

-Tim Siedell

 

 

 

 

 

 

"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening my ax."

 

-Abe Lincoln

 

  





  

  "If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first fifty-five minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes." 

  

-Albert Einstein






 

"Chance favors the prepared mind.  The more you practice, the luckier you become."

 

-Richard Branson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"If you are on time, you are late!"

 

-Vince Lombardi 


 

 

 

 


 

  

  

  

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