Today, virtual meetings are a part of our business life. During the pandemic, the average number of virtual meetings rose from approximately10 million annually to more than 300 million. That number has not seen a marked decrease over the past three years. However, according to a survey by Showpad, which analyzed sellers from U.S. organizations, 80% of salespeople believe virtual meetings make it harder to engage with prospects and 40% believe virtual meetings are costing them sales.
That doesn’t have to be the case. Here are four tips to maximize the impact of your virtual sales meetings:
Start With an Icebreaker
We all want to launch into our pitch and get our prospects interested. However, we also all know that relationships are the key to selling. That means you should always take time at the beginning of each virtual sales presentation to make each participant feel comfortable and engaged. One important way to do that is a simple icebreaker. Icebreakers have been used at events since time immemorial and have a positive impact on virtual presentations, sparking discussion and building rapport. Check out some great examples from Indeed here.
Incorporate Interactive Elements
No one wants to sit through a presentation where the presenter drones on and on. As you present, consider adding moments of interactivity. According to TalentLMS, almost 80% of learners say they would be more productive if their work was more game-like. One great way to add interactive elements is to include quizzes and games in your presentation. You can poll your audience in real time or add trivia questions via PowerPoint. Most presentation software allows adding polls and more.
Add an Activity at the End
Virtual meetings can seem impersonal or boring, making it harder to engage prospects. Adding an activity, be it a virtual spirits tasting or artisanal food experience, only amplifies your demand generation and lead nurturing strategies. Virtual activities also offer a more personal experience for your guests. Rather than just listening to a salesperson talk about your products, virtual tastings allow your guests to participate in an engaging experience they enjoy. This hands-on approach helps to build trust and create a more memorable experience for your guests, which can lead to increased sales and brand loyalty.
Bring It Into the Real World
Virtual sales presentations suffice when necessary, but meeting your prospects in-person can be invaluable. A great place to facilitate that in-person meeting is industry conferences or summits where professionals in your industry all come together to compare notes, foster relationships and build for the future. Create a strategy so your virtual sales presentations lead to a larger, in-person event to seal the deal. For example, I work with a cyber-security conference company that does 20-plus virtual sales presentations that include a spirit tasting throughout the year, leading up to their largest industry conference. Those virtual sales presentations/tastings primed the pump for the in-person event the company hosted at the conference. Last year, their pub takeover at the RSA Conference had a waiting list of 700 people.
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