Why distance selling by videoconference

Remote sales via webinar is the practice of organizing a remote sales meeting using video conferencing to avoid the need for the salesperson or customer to travel. It’s also known as a virtual sales meeting, or videoconference.

Why remote sales meetings

Distance selling becomes a basic skill for all competitive sellers, even a necessity in times of pandemic.

There are three ways for a salesperson to organize a sales meeting: face-to-face, by telephone and by webinar. As sales training specialists, we’re going to show you the advantages and disadvantages of three solutions.

The face-to-face meeting for selling a product or service is still the most effective way of selling, but it requires the customer or salesperson to travel, which costs time, money and energy, whereas it’s often unnecessary to make the journey. Face-to-face sales are still the best way to sell large investments or difficult prospects, but they need to be complemented by other systems.

Telephone sales

Telephone selling has been popular for decades, and is well suited to institutions with existing customers. These include financial institutions, insurance companies, telephone companies and sports clubs. The telephone is also very effective for building customer loyalty, booking appointments, or soliciting low-cost services such as subscriptions. On the other hand, the telephone doesn’t provide the salesperson with all the means of persuasion: the customer can hang up at any time, and the public has become suspicious following the many scandals that have plagued the profession.

Virtual distance selling via videoconferencing

Virtual distance selling offers the advantages of the telephone without the disadvantages:

• The customer and salesperson can see each other via videoconferencing, which humanizes the customer relationship and facilitates communication.
• There’s no need to turn on the video – some customers prefer not to be seen, so you can concentrate on the presentation.
• Your presentation can use PowerPoint to professionalize the meeting, and it’s even possible to embed videos using links in certain keywords, triggering the start of these clips according to the customer’s interest in the subject.
• The biggest advantage is that there’s no need for the salesperson or customer to travel. This extends the salesperson’s scope and radius of action, so instead of targeting customers in one city, for example, the salesperson can target the entire province or even the country.
• The company can put its salespeople in competition with each other, whereas when they have assigned regions, we always hear the same refrain from sales reps: “My figures are not as good, because my region has less potential”. This makes it easier to compare and pay salespeople according to results, without the risk of recrimination. Distance selling makes it easy to organize motivating competitions in which everyone has an equal chance of success.
• We’ve also found that the appointment booking rate is higher for remote meetings than for face-to-face meetings, as the customer is more likely to accept an appointment in the comfort of their own home or office and not have to entertain someone.
• The company can ask its salespeople to meet more often each week, since they don’t have to travel, so it’s a question of quality, but also of quality, and we all know that sales is all about numbers.
• Employers have greater control over their sales teams, as we know that sales reps are often difficult to manage in their respective regions, so it’s easier to control, monitor and motivate them when they’re all under the same roof.
• Finally, I’d advise you to let your customer choose the type of meeting he prefers, either remotely or at your offices if he doesn’t live too far away, giving you maximum flexibility and the best of both worlds.

How to organize a virtual meeting by videoconference

For an optimal long-distance meeting and the best closing rate, I recommend the following sales steps:

• Let the customer choose the type of meeting to ensure full cooperation.
• Prepare your video conference about 15 minutes beforehand, and review the content unless you already know it by heart.
• Call the customer 5 minutes before the appointment so that he can switch on his computer and you can link him to the videoconference.
• Break the ice with the customer by talking to them about the weather in their area, for example.
• Introduce yourself, your company and the purpose of the meeting.
• Listen and learn about the customer through key questions in the presentation that the customer can follow along with you. These are the questions that will enable you to adapt to the customer and offer him what is most relevant to him.
• Rephrase to check understanding.
• Propose your solution in a graphic, visual, fun and diversified way. You should use a variety of media: videos, graphics, demonstrations, testimonials.
• Respond to objections or questions with points you’ve already prepared. It’s a sign of openness to recognize that certain products and services may give rise to questions or objections, and to reassure the customer.
• Close the sale or schedule a meeting where you’ll give them a customized quote with a financial component.