How interesting can virtual selling and relationship-building strategies be?

We are living in some of the best periods of time, where flexibility and technology have collaborated at a global level. Let us not beg to differ that remote work is nothing short of extraordinary and remarkable. 

Time has been proven more valuable after the 2020 pandemic and anything less than using it for a higher purpose serves no long-term perspective. Interestingly, the ‘remote work’ strategy has been present for a long time on Earth and some of us might have heard it just now.

Virtual selling is a niche industry, where working away from the office is one of its major aspects. With COVID-19 or whatever, as this name still gives the chills, have fast-forwarded virtual selling and relationship-building strategies for a couple of years. In the current times, there are individuals who are living in different places on the earth and undergoing sales work. 

Although, they are now learning innovative strategies to keep up with the soaring market demands. There are fewer in-person meetings and conferences and professionals are choosing Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, or other video conferencing platforms for closing deals. 

We have to understand that such accessibility also requires some adjustments, both emotionally and operational. But sales targets can be met even remotely and relationship building can be empowered which is ultimately the untapped possibilities of virtual selling.

Understanding the data behind virtual selling-

When it comes to virtual selling and relationship building, there is a commendable amount of data to create a well-researched strategy. Since 2015, sales representatives have increased the time they devote to doing virtual meetings with customers and potential prospects by almost 60%. 

Also, in regions like North America, reports suggest that almost 65% of buyers work remotely, and reaching out to them virtually is the best way for achieving targets. There is also a strong preference for remote work by almost 91% of sales representatives and about 70% of buyers. 

• Considering the effectiveness of virtual meetings, about 63% of sales leaders think that it is more productive for the business to do online virtual meetings than traditional in-person meets. There is always flexibility in virtual selling as 81% of sales representatives love video conferencing over anything else, as per reports. 

• Relationship building in sales is accelerated by value creation and that can be met by virtual meetings. Almost 80% of B2B customers like online meetings more than face-to-face meetings. 

• But looking into the roadblocks in virtual selling and relationship building, there is a lot to understand. Here, the salesperson needs to create more slides for effective communication in a virtual meeting. Reports suggest that after 48 hours, buyers tend to remember a fraction of the key insights discussed in the virtual meetings. 

It can be roughly considered that about 26% of buyers actually understand the skill level of the sellers for thorough discovery strategies virtually. Looking into the problem-solving expertise of sellers, only 34% of the buyers report any proceedings. 

There is also a shortcoming when buyers express the listening capabilities of a seller. Only about 26% of buyers do that in the virtual mode of work. These statistics might appear discouraging, but being successful in virtual selling can be achieved and learned in a productive manner. You just need to understand the pain points and address them in a planned manner. 

The challenges that come with virtual selling-

Virtual selling and relationship building have risen significantly over the last few years and there are several tools and resources available today to the sales representatives today. But the digital sphere comes with a certain set of challenges. 

• It is very tedious to maintain consistency in the attention span of the buyers during a virtual meeting. Buyers tend to look into their kids or pets while having a conversation with the salesperson. Working from home for both parties demands certain duties and the salesperson needs to learn new styles of communication to grab the interest of the buyer. 

• Relationship building through virtual meetings is very important for sales representatives. Building a good rapport goes a long way when it comes to buyer and seller collaboration. In any sales agreement, there is a major input of showing value to the buyers. 

• Reports suggest that buyers know that about 16% of sellers deliver the ROI for the company product. Such daunting statistics might indicate poor training for the sales representatives or a lack of appropriate knowledge in using digital resources. 

In virtual selling and relationship building, most of the communication does not include talking to each other. It is very crucial for the sales representative to understand the intricacies of message conversation or other non-verbal forms, in order to figure out the sales prospect. 

There are sales professionals who are in the industry for decades and it might get overwhelming for a lot of them to adapt to the changing times. Above all, it is pivotal to have a stellar internet connection. Although internet reception has improved over the years, there are regions where it does lack high-speed reliable internet.

With the right mindset, skills can be learned and with more ease in accessing data regarding a subject, sales representatives just need to have a positive mindset towards their craft. 

What can be the tips for virtual selling?

With virtual selling and relationship building, it is very essential to learn the right strategies for sustainable career growth. As a sales representative, it is very important to get yourself the right resources for your work. 

• There are also specific platforms that are devoted solely to sales tools that can benefit your team. Apart from Google Meet, Zoom, WebX, and a few others; Salesforce is a very useful platform for managing customer relationships. Salesforce keeps its platform updated according to industry standards. 

• There is a platform called Owler, where new prospects can be found along with researching about and tracking them for potential sales communication. Video tools like Vidyard help a salesperson to create easy demos for the product, answer questions, and several other features. 

When it comes to customer-engagement software, Khoros might come in handy. It helps in participation in community management, contributing to social listening, and many others. 

It is very helpful to reach out to the sales team and learn about their pain points. This should help in bringing out a solution in a short amount of time. 

One of the most important aspects of selling online is to do research and be prepared. Chatting online with a buyer might sound very candid, but it is necessary to do some homework from a sales perspective. 

• Understanding the pain points of the customer that is coupled with the business motto should be well-versed from your end. Not all conversation has to be transactional. But the buyer needs to feel that you, being a salesperson, have respect for the company’s product and want organic growth of the brand. 

• These virtual selling strategies will also help you in making a precise presentation in front of the customer, where the solutions along with expected growth statistics are carefully mapped out. All these relevant details will come useful in answering any questions from the customers coming your way.

We have already discussed that having a reliable internet connection is a prerequisite to any form of virtual selling or remote work. But unforeseen circumstances can happen where the internet reception suddenly breaks. 

To back up your meeting, it is always advisable to share presentations beforehand to the customers. This will be immensely helpful for both parties to review the material and understand the content and objectives of the meeting. 

How to build more trust in virtual selling and relationship building?

A virtual way of work has its pros and cons. But it is always optimistic to look towards the brighter side of things. In sales, the virtual conversation needs to be bound with trust between the seller and the buyer. 

• You should explain the to-do list of the sales process and bring out some transparency for the buyer to think about opting for your service. Today, the world is running on social media. And from top-level senior executives to fresh graduates, everyone does their due diligence with research and analysis before making any purchase decision. 

• Reports indicate that about 97% of consumers seek information online before buying a product. This should motivate your team to be active on social media and generate sales through online platforms. Here, social selling is an insightful topic, where your social media presence validates your products and ultimately generates a loyal set of customers. 

Reports indicate that 64% of sales representatives engaging themselves in social media tend to meet their targets more than the remaining ones who do not opt to go online. It is very important to optimize your social media channels for bolstering your business. 

Virtual selling and relationship building should also have a close partnership with the marketing team. This is because useful pieces of content and resources like e-books, whitepapers, presentations, blog materials, and many others are provided by the marketing team. Also, marketing is well-versed with social media which should help you understand the ropes of these aspects. 

For any sort of remote work, you have to consider some investments like getting yourself a high-speed and reliable internet connection. This should be tailored with a decent-performance computing device and a nice pair of headphones. All such sound simple, but researching over the internet for the right pieces of tech gear will add to your daily productivity. Think like this, getting an economical family car and driving it in a race could not help you perform as expected. Or charging a premium for a coffee that is not made of good quality coffee beans. In each such case, the value proposition is not aligned and the expected conclusions will be dissatisfactory. 

Frequently Asked Questions-

1. How can I improve my sales virtually?

Ans- You should get the right tools for your virtual work and do your research about the customer. This should help you build some trust while pitching your products or services.

2. What are the benefits of virtual sales?

Ans- In virtual sales, you can meet a diverse range of people from all around the world and strengthen your network. It also allows you to properly plan your time and be more productive.

3. Name some examples of virtual selling.

Ans- Virtual selling can include posts for social media, online portals, writing content for blogs, and many others. 

4. What can be the challenges of virtual selling?

Ans- Some of the challenges of virtual selling can be retaining the attention and trust of the customers. The salesperson has to be very trained with good non-verbal communication skills and strategies.