Expert sales leaders remain successful despite the pandemic. That’s because they’ve figured out how to adapt their remote selling techniques for the virtual work environment.

Given the pandemic, almost 90% of B2B sales now happen digitally. Remote selling via the web or videoconferences is more important than ever. In fact, many experts argue that it could be better than traditional selling techniques because it’s not limited by borders.  

Yet, remote selling skills don’t come easy to every business. For many, this is a new concept… But it’s a concept you need to adopt if you want to keep scaling your business during this time.

It’s possible for companies to thrive during the pandemic. However, a lot depends on your ability to navigate the digital sales environment. To succeed, you need to use the right techniques and motivate your employees accordingly. Through it all, you must understand how to reach and connect with customers without face-to-face meetings. 

Here are a few tips from some of the world’s leading experts in remote sales.

Remote Selling Tip #1 – Use More Personal Communication Tools

Mark Cox, managing partner at In The Funnel, offers this perspective on emails, texts, and instant messaging as communication tools: 

“These tools lack the personal touch that we need as human beings to feel connected.” 

He advises you to choose video chat and phone calls instead. Whether you’re talking to a team member or negotiating a deal, you can get a better read on the emotions of the person you’re talking to – and salespeople rely on that when they’re making a pitch.

If you want to master remote selling, start by implementing video calls. High quality audio and video is very important – not just for the client, but also for the salespeople.

Remote Selling Tip #2 – Be Empathetic to the Client’s Situation

The Regional Head at Freshworks for Malaysia and Hong Kong, Supraja Prasad, also understands remote sales. More so, she understands what clients need and expect during this time. This is her advice:

“For those prospects who are not engaging, be empathetic.” 

Empathy is an important trait for any successful salesperson, and this hasn’t changed… Remote selling and all.

She goes on to offer another piece of advice. 

“Give them the space and time they need to recover, but drop them an email to make sure they are doing okay.”

It’s clear that she advises against going with the hard sell, especially during a pandemic. You can get more out of a prospective customer by being empathetic. Offer a solution to an existing problem, but don’t create a problem out of thin air.

Nurturing your connections establishes trust and can increase revenue over time. Without trust, sales don’t happen.

Remote Selling Tip #3 – Block Off Time for Extraneous Tasks

Janice Mars is the founder of SalesLatitude. She understands what it takes to work in a virtual environment and what distracts people from working efficiently. Here’s what she has to say about remote working:

“This type of freedom is great – unless you have an issue with distractions. Such as your family, your dogs, the FedEx guy, or simply your email notifications.”

Distractions can happen in any working environment, but they’re especially common in a virtual workspace. While Janice doesn’t advocate turning off email notifications, she does suggest that you block notifications during certain periods. Separate work time from personal time. That way you don’t have to micromanage your time – or risk becoming distracted. 

This remote selling tip can help salespeople stay focused on customer research and planning a great pitch.

Remote Selling Tip #4 – Results Are More Important Than Time

“Results, not presence, are everything. Great remote employees focus on accomplishing objectives as quickly and efficiently as possible.” 

This is what the contributing editor at Inc. Magazine, Jeff Haden, has to say.

Concentrating on results is great advice for a remote sales team. The faster one task is over, the quicker you can move on to another. This helps bring in more business faster, and it’s yet another reason why remote selling might be the future of B2B sales.

Employees can actually become more efficient in this environment.

Remote Selling Tip #5 – Focus on Helping Ahead of Selling

Lars van der Heijden is a business development representative for Freshworks. He insists on the concept of helping. 

“Try to reach out to the prospects you are really in touch with. See if you can help them in any way… This is the moment you build relationships for the future.”

It’s very important to go at the right pace when acquiring new prospects. Give priority to your existing customers when you make the switch to remote selling. Assess their problems, or simply ask if they want you to offer a solution.

Succeeding in a remote environment doesn’t mean changing your approach. Many of the traditional sales tactics are transferable to the virtual world. It’s just a matter of getting your priorities right and understanding what customers need.

Conclusion

Mastering remote selling skills may not come naturally for employees, or even business owners… Yet most B2B sales companies adopted remote selling immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Most sales experts around the world welcome this and see it as a positive change.

The digital realm still allows you to nurture personal relationships with your clients, and can even help build trust and connection on a global level. Use these techniques to boost your sales and navigate the new economic environment.

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