Since pandemic, sales pros see virtue in virtual calls

Do you really need the old-school handshake to close a deal anymore?

Well, it depends on what you’re selling, but for many sales professionals the days of in-person sales meetings have largely shifted to virtual sales calls since COVID-19.

“The pandemic has dramatically changed selling,” says Ryan Dohrn, an Augusta, Georgia-based business speaker and sales coach, and author of "Selling Forward: Pandemic Trusted Sales Strategies for Success." “Buyers learned during the pandemic that they do not have to meet with us face-to-face in order to buy from us.”

And while face-to-face selling is still Dohrn’s preferred method of selling, he has adapted with the times and customer preferences and now does over 70% of his calls and meetings on Zoom, observing “virtual selling can be as successful as face-to-face selling if you do it correctly."

For Dohrn, that means setting up virtual sales calls so they replicate as best they can an in-person experience.

As part of that, it’s important to have your communication device elevated so your camera is eye level akin to making eye contact in a physical meeting, he says.

It’s also critical avoiding distractions and noise, so picking a noisy coffee shop is a no-no, says Dohrn. Also having professional equipment is key and for Dohrn that means tiny earbuds, a professional microphone and soft lighting like that in a photography studio.

No oversharing

Also to be successful on virtual meetings, don’t always share your screen, he says, noting often people share the screen and neglect to then unshare it so their face is relegated to a tiny box.

And remember some clients still want to meet in person, so be flexible, Dohrn says, noting, “sales people need to build their sales strategies around their customers' preferences, not their preferences.”

Sam Wanigasinghe, director of business development at Eastern American Technologies, which has offices in Manhattan and East Northport, finds it’s more beneficial for both he and the client to meet in-person.

And while he went virtual during the pandemic, he switched back to in-person 95% of the time about seven months ago. That’s because the firm installs telephone systems, door access systems, security cameras and Wi-Fi access points, which requires him to be on-site at a customer to assess their needs and educate them on the process.

When being there matters

“Everyone’s level of understanding is different,” Wanigasinghe says. “It’s very difficult to gauge that over the phone.”

On the flip side, Rick Brandoff, the East Meadow-based regional manager at IndoorMedia/Cartvertising, which specializes in shopping cart ads for businesses, says his sales since the pandemic are 85% over the phone and the rest in-person.

“It’s very rare someone will say we have to meet in-person,” he says, noting pre-pandemic all sales calls for him were always in-person.

He says when the pandemic started he created a Facebook page to show customers examples of display ads, which works well, along with texting customers images if they want to see an ad.

He says not commuting to sales meeting has freed up more time to make more sales calls. And while closing rates will always be higher in-person, Brandoff says he personally hasn’t felt any real impact selling via phone because he could make many more sales calls to close more deals.

Less travel, more pitching

Jeff Goldberg, president of Jeff Goldberg & Associates in Long Beach, a sales coaching and training firm and founder of The Sales Pro Network, a Facebook group of over 1,100 sales professionals, agrees.

“I could make at least 50% more sales calls in a day,” he said now that he primarily uses Zoom to sell.

On the flip side, “I still believe nothing takes the place of a face-to-face meeting when it comes to establishing and building rapport,” Goldberg says.

Adrian Miller, president of Adrian Miller Sales Training in Port Washington and author of The Blatant Truth: 50 Ways To Sales Success, agrees, noting, “I love to see people’s offices … I get a lot of cues in how they surround themselves.”

Miller says she’s now about 50-50 between Zoom and in-person when it comes to sales and training clients. Pre-pandemic she was 95% in-person.

But despite the advantages of being in-person, Goldberg said his closing rate hasn’t been impacted going virtual.

You just need to keep in mind the core basics like dressing appropriately remembering it’s still a business meeting, he says.

Avoid distractions like constant internet buffering, says Goldberg, noting it pays investing in a higher internet speed.

“You’re looking to have a sales conversation just as you would if you were in their office,” he says, so avoid barking dogs, open windows with leaf blowers.

Also show up on time if not early in case of any technological glitches, says Miller, who usually gets on 5-10 minutes earlier for a Zoom call.

“COVID has changed how we interact and sell … but treat it as the opportunity it is and be professional about it,” she says.