Whether you’re a professional speaker or a newbie to the game of sales, holding the attention of your audience during a meeting is a difficult task. However, doing so in virtual settings is a whole other challenge on its own.
With the rise of technology, virtual sales meetings have become the norm in today’s business landscape. Business leaders are presented with a new set of obstacles ranging from technical issues disrupting the flow of the call to choosing the right platform to convey their message effectively.
In this article, we’ll look at 3 guidelines for virtual meeting best practices you can follow to run better virtual sales meetings in 2024.
4 guidelines to follow for better virtual sales calls in 2024
Guideline 1: Choose your platform wisely (and learn it well)
In your virtual sales meeting, it can be a smart move to aim to replicate the ambiance of an in-person meeting as much as you can. Investing in the right piece of technology is crucial since it’s the mediator between you and your audience.
With so many technological options available, it can be difficult to know which to choose. It’s always a good idea to review your needs so that you can select the tools that best fit your business requirements. Some of the factors to consider when choosing the right tool for your virtual sales meetings include:
- The number of participants the platform can accommodate during a session
- The level of interactivity you want to be able to offer (chat, real-time polls)
- Business-specific features you require (interactive whiteboard, transcription)
- The level of security offered by the platform (specifically if confidential information will be shared)
- Price point
Choosing a platform might seem like the hard part, but the tools we have access to have limited use if we don’t know how to leverage them! It’s just as important to invest the time and effort into learning how to use your chosen platform effectively, as well as offering ongoing training to ensure your team is up to speed on the latest features and how to incorporate them into their sales calls.
Struggling to perform basic tasks (unmuting a mic, sharing your screen) not only eats away at the valuable time during a meeting, but you also run the risk of appearing unprofessional—or even losing a potential customer. Remember—in today’s fast-paced business world, impressions are everything!
Since nothing kills the momentum of a meeting more easily than a technical mishap, it’s always a good idea to iron out any technical uncertainties ahead of time—and avoid any hiccups during your sales pitch. At least 20 minutes before your meeting, verify that your tools such as your speakers, Wi-Fi, and camera are working. Plus, test out any links or multimedia elements you want to incorporate and make sure that any video content is fully buffered. Entering the call with the confidence that your tech is ready can help to minimize any pre-meeting jitters, leaving you able to focus on what you do best—the art of the sale!
Guideline 2: Plan ahead and craft a meeting narrative
Opening with a story or personal anecdote is a classic strategy for engaging an audience, and it holds for remote communication as much as in-person.
Similarly, when it comes to hosting a great virtual sales call, crafting a sales pitch with a narrative structure can be a great way to not only hold your audience’s attention, but to create an emotional connection to your brand, product, or service.
One effective narrative arc commonly used within marketing follows a “problem-solution” structure; simply name the problem that your product is designed to solve, explain the ways in which existing solutions fail to adequately tackle that problem, and then introduce your product as the solution.
Similarly, you could opt for a narrative arc that follows a “stakes-solution” model. By highlighting what the stakes are in a given situation, you create the perfect pitch for your solution!
Sales pitches that follow a narrative structure tend to elicit a stronger emotional reaction, keeping your leads engaged and more likely to commit. To utilize this strategy, however, it’s essential to plan your meeting narrative in advance.
Guideline 3: Create a personal connection and connect with your audience
Establishing a personal connection can be a great way to make your meeting as memorable as possible.
Video is your friend when it comes to humanizing a seemingly artificial interaction. A display name on a screen doesn’t encourage a human connection— and potential leads may feel less guilty about “ghosting” you post-call if they didn’t get a chance to connect with you or your brand.
However, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing! Keep your sales spiel to the point, avoid repetition, and integrate multimedia elements to ensure your prospects stay engaged.
Now that you’ve got a foot in the door via video, the audience is more likely to be comfortable enough to add their own insights. Instead of trying to make the meeting about you or what you’re trying to present, strive to add value to your team and encourage them to share their needs or talk about their situation. Ask questions, integrate polls, and have smaller, focused, breakout room discussions. This makes them feel valued and heard which facilitates better emotional engagement and collaboration.
Guideline 4: Maintain eye contact during remote meetings
Eye contact can be a powerful tool to leverage during your sales meetings. Research has shown that eye contact, when used properly, activates the limbic mirror system—this means the neurons firing in your brain will fire the same neurons in another person’s brain when you share eye contact with them. If your eyes are communicating joy, neurons on their end will fire such that they communicate joy as well.
This makes it that much easier when it comes to persuading and influencing someone—after all, sales calls are an attempt to persuade someone to buy your product or service! However, how can you do so when your eye contact is constantly shifting between the screen and the video thumbnail? Or when you’re trying to look at your notes and the audience at the same time?
By using a top-notch teleprompter tool like VODIUM, you can remove eye-contact frustration from the equation during virtual sales calls. VODIUM’s tool displays your notes just below your camera in an easy-to-view, scrollable format. As you read your notes, you’ll be able to keep eye contact with the camera, giving the impression of directly looking at your audience—a great way to keep them engaged and attentive.
With VODIUM, you can adjust the speed of your script such that it’s in sync with your presentation. You can also change the transparency of your notes so that it’s not too visible that it blocks the video conference, nor is it too translucent that it’s hard to read.
VODIUM: The secret to virtual sales meeting success
2024 has already set the tone that virtual sales meetings are here to stay. Although the transition towards remote sales has presented market leaders with many benefits, it has also given rise to a new set of challenges. Even with these novel changes, some things never change—like the importance of eye contact during meetings.
Although it can be difficult to practice this in virtual settings, harnessing the power of the right tool can empower you to step up your game and connect with your audience just as you would in person. VODIUM’s virtual teleprompter app sits neatly over your video conferencing software, allowing you to display and read off your notes without disconnecting from your audience. To discover the difference a teleprompter can make to your virtual sales calls, visit VODIUM today to start your 14-day free trial!
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