How to make Virtual Sales Demos Work?

Last week I had to contact a doctor for quick advice. I called him up and asked if his timings have been affected due to COVID-19 and when can I visit him. I was taken aback when he passed on Zoom Call credentials for remote interaction. He said we meet if it’s needed which in this case doesn’t seem necessary.

A couple of days later, I called up a few relatives to check their whereabouts in this pandemic to learn that both the kids in the house are busy in the classes. The schools have been using Microsoft Team for teaching kids remotely.

Recently, I spoke to one of the consumer electronics showroom owners on how things are moving and are there any signs of recovery in the business. He was happy to state that he has been able to close deals demonstrating products over Zoom video calls. Highest sold in the store are refrigerators which his sales staff demonstrates running through the entire range available. The customers want to see the space for ice cubes, the various racks available to check if this suits their requirement. Post the video call, the sales guy sends the e-brochure of the product over WhatsApp, at times two products to take a final call. The payment is done over a payment gateway and the product is home delivered.

This challenges pre-existing notions that a lot of organization live with – A sales guy who is in the office is not working.

As consumers and organizations embrace remote sales of products never imagined before, here is how we can enable them with digital means.

Allow Customers to Book Meeting Slots

Customers need to have the flexibility to decide when would they want a video interaction. You cannot call a prospect abruptly and expect him/her to answer the call. Even after warming up the lead over a voice call, it is courteous to send a link to the customer to choose his slot of interaction during the day/week. This tool can also be built on the website for users to schedule a meeting at their convenience.

Create a Pre- Interaction Checklist

Sales guys should ask prospective buyers to send across the documents (say in case of selling insurance) to you in advance so that you have a background already.

Also, you do not want the customer to be running around in the video call as and when you ask him to show something in originals. E.g. if you are selling insurance, pre-inform the customer on the documents he/she needs to keep in handy before starting the interaction.

Train the Sales Team on Effectively Using Equipment

The sales team would have gone through numerous training on selling skills, but the need of the hour is to enable them with the know-how of camera angles, lighting conditions, microphone usage etc-. Anyday, a call with your video on is better than only a voice call.

Embrace Virtual Interaction

Organizations, where salespeople have been considered working only when out on the field, should accept the new reality. A relationship manager needs now establish the relation being at a distance. And considering the acceptability at the client end as well, organizations should trust that this is possible.