Written By: Sean Frontz
July 20, 2023 – 7 min read
It’s the understatement of the century to say that the sales landscape looks a lot different now than it did a year ago. After an initial period of controlled chaos, B2B sales organizations have made the major shift from in-person to virtual interactions — and if multiple McKinsey studies are any indication, that shift isn’t a blip. It’s trending.
As virtual selling continues to transition from “this will never work” to “all in a day’s work,” it’s important for leading sales teams to modify their approach to support and coach their team members
Here are three strategies that can help you to lead your team to virtual sales success:
Even though setting clear, measurable goals is Selling 101, effective sales leaders need to consider modifying their approach with remote teams. When you work from home, the world is your office, and it’s important to bring your team in for regular meetings wherever you (and they) are. Ensure every rep knows what you’re measuring and what success looks like — sales activity by rep, deals closed, pipeline conversion rate, average conversion time, or other KPIs. Give extra coaching and support to veteran field salespeople who may feel especially challenged by working in the virtual world.
Virtual team meetings and one-on-one sessions are also great ways to model the behavior you want your sales reps to exhibit with customers, so treat these virtual gatherings the same way you’d treat a client call. That means video on, professional setting, and attire you would be comfortable wearing to an informal client meeting.
To build connective tissue within your team, incorporate a balance of scheduled and impromtu meetings using instant messaging and videoconferencing tools.
“Out of sight, out of mind” is not a strategy built for remote sales success. To build connective tissue within your team, incorporate a balance of scheduled and impromptu meetings using instant messaging and videoconferencing tools. Status meetings, team knowledge-sharing events, and micro-learning sessions all serve the dual purpose of keeping your salesforce up to date on current needs and trends while keeping them in touch with one another.
You can also create internal communities of practice around skill sets that need continual attention or specific projects or tasks. The network these communities of practice create can extend far beyond the initial intent of the group and build strong connections among your team.
You can also create an online community that focuses on your customers by hosting virtual focus groups, super-user roundtables, quick-hit online training, or “doctor is in” sessions. This allows you to gather information, stay on top of mind with your customers, and provide new skills or strategies around using your product or service. As the world opens up, you can continue to host virtual events — they’re a flexible, feasible way to build and maintain loyalty and visibility. The following strategies from Forbes can help make your virtual event a success.
While many selling skills can transfer seamlessly from live to virtual interactions, your salesforce will need to adjust their techniques to fit the online environment. When the available meeting real estate shrinks from a nicely appointed conference room with a large projection surface to a laptop, tablet, or cell phone screen, sales professionals need a new approach. Forbes has another helpful article that focuses on strategies for making virtual presentations pop.
Salesforce education also extends to the tools sales managers need to do their job. Sales organizations have many options for virtual engagements (PC Magazine has a nice roundup here), and regardless of what platform you choose, you and your team will need to become experts at how to use it. Decide on the features your team will use the most — screen sharing, file transfer, onscreen collaboration, breakout rooms — and schedule training sessions to learn the technical aspects and practice sessions to hone skills in a safe environment before interacting with customers.
It’s also a good idea to develop a quick reference resource for best practices and troubleshooting tips. An effective approach would be to maintain the resource as a living (as opposed to static) reference you and your team can continue to develop over time, incorporating actual virtual interaction experiences (both successes and mistakes). And as with any training initiative, there needs to be follow-up training for new features and orientation and practice sessions for new hires.
While many selling skills transfer seamlessly from live to virtual interactions, your salesforce will need to adjust their techniques to fit the online environment.
Virtual interactions have become a permanent part of the sales landscape. We’d like to hear how you modify your leadership approach to ensure your team succeeds in the virtual world.
When it comes to leading virtual sales teams, it’s important to look to create strategies your leadership team should adopt to maintain constant improvement in your organization. Download our ebook “Creating a Future-Ready Workforce” to discover ideas about how to stay ahead of the curve with your virtual team.
When it comes to leading virtual sales teams, it’s important to look to create strategies your leadership team should adopt to maintain constant improvement in your organization. Download our ebook “Creating a Future-Ready Workforce” to discover ideas about how to stay ahead of the curve with your virtual team. Download Ebook Now
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