Hey, lady, are you an entrepreneur, a woman manager, or living life in the C-Suite but looking to amp up your success? You need to use technology to your advantage and become a virtual selling pro (like those crazy Kardashians). Everyone- including your mom, your aunt, and your neighbor- is buying off of Amazon, for example. And if Amazon can attract their attention and their dollars, so can you! Brush up on your marketing skills, hone the soft sell, and create more of a presence online to attract a wider customer base. Focusing on your selling skills will build your business in no time, and soon you’ll be killin’ it in the online marketplace. Ready to dive in?
What are virtual selling and the virtual marketplace?
Virtual selling is like online dating. It’s all about making connections and creating a relationship, but instead of finding love, you’re finding new customers and closing sales!
To break it down, virtual selling is the art of selling your products or services through digital channels, like video conferencing, live chat, or email. With the rise of remote work and digital technologies, virtual selling has become a must-have skill for salespeople as well as executives. Think about it, with virtual selling, you get to avoid the hassle of commute and dress codes, you can connect with potential customers from the comfort of your own couch, and you can bring your product demos and presentations to life with high-tech features like screen sharing and interactive content. Plus, you’re not limited to the confines of “office hours,” meaning you can sell to clients around the world any time of the day or night.
Examples of virtual selling include:
- Webinars: Host live or recorded webinars to showcase your product or service to potential customers. A recorded webinar is also a fantastic lead magnet to attract clients and start accumulating an email list.
- Video Calls: Utilize video conferencing platforms such as Zoom or Skype for virtual sales presentations and demonstrations.
- Online Demonstrations: Delivering interactive product demonstrations to customers over the internet will wow them! Everyone and I mean everyone, loves to see the benefits of a service or product in a brief demonstration. I get more clients from demonstrations than any other online tool.
- Social Media: Utilize social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter to connect with potential customers, share content, and build relationships. Insta Reels are a popular way to get content and demonstrations out right now – so use it to your advantage!
- Virtual Trade Shows: Participating in virtual trade shows and events to connect with prospects and showcase your products or services. This is a great way to network, expand your base, and get invited to more shows!
Virtual selling is the way of the future, and if you want to keep up with the game, you gotta step up your virtual selling game, sweetie!
Make Technology Your New Best Friend
There is just no way around it – more and more business is being done online. No one goes anywhere without their phones, and a segment of the population hasn’t stepped foot into a brick-and-mortar store since before Covid. It’s essential to be comfortable with online platforms and virtual selling tools. This includes video messaging and video conferencing, both of which enable us to stay connected with family and clients!
So, what is the go-to technology to try as you master the sale?
- Video conferencing software: Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet. These platforms provide a space for virtual sales meetings, where you can connect with buyers and prospects and build relationships.
- Video messaging apps: Loom, Soapbox, Vidyard, and BombBomb. These apps allow you to create and share personalized videos to build rapport with buyers and showcase your product or service. Loom is super easy to use and an easy way to build relationships!
- Social media: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. These platforms are powerful tools for social virtual selling, providing a way to connect with buyers and prospects and share relevant content to help build your brand and drive engagement.
- Customer relationship management (CRM) software: Salesforce, Hubspot, or Pipedrive. These platforms help sales teams manage their pipeline, automate workflows, and personalize their outreach.
Remember, virtual selling is about more than just having the right tools, it’s about using them in the right way. Practice makes perfect- so set up practice sessions with your friends or have one of your more tech-savvy family members show you the ropes.
The good news is that most of these platforms offer free trials, so test them out and find the ones that work best for your business. I love Zoom and Loom and use both daily because they’re my favorite. Find what works for your business. Also, make sure to take the time to understand your buyers, their pain points, and what they need from you to make the sale, as well as virtual selling best practices. With the right skills and tools in your toolbox, you’ll be able to crush your virtual selling goals!
What is Social Selling?
Social selling leverages social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to identify, connect with, and engage potential customers. With SM, you focus on building relationships first. Comment and like posts, add value by linking an article you think they may like based on the content, and genuinely interact with their feeds.
Social selling is not just copying and pasting a message and blasting it off to everyone you can connect with online. For example, I had a friend request from a mutual acquaintance, which I accepted. Not two minutes later, I received a generic message that was four sentences long asking if I would consider hosting a Mary Kay party. I read that message and was immediately turned off by the woman and her business. That is not the way to social sell!
However, if she commented and liked some of my posts and I did the same for her, I would undoubtedly notice that she sells Mary Kay (especially if she is posting videos of demonstrations or deals on her feed), and the conversation could come up organically.
Social selling allows sales reps to build and nurture relationships! This builds a solid base of lifelong clients because if they feel seen and supported by you, which means they are more apt to invest in your business and buy your products. Finally, it’s a fantastic way to network and make new friends. You never know who will be a new client or introduce you to someone life-changing.
How to sell virtually… It’s all about the c-word- Connection
I’ll be the first to admit that connection and sales conversations can be awkward when you’re on a virtual platform. That is why investing time in your social media presence, showcasing your products or services in a genuine way, and liking/commenting on others’ feeds help you build a base.
Without the ability to read facial expressions and body language, as well as the benefits of face-to-face interaction, you may find it difficult to engage your clients virtually – but it is not impossible. When working remotely, you have to focus more on building trust and a connection through communication tactics like active listening, asking the right questions during sales calls, being transparent with prospects about goals, being consistent with messaging and branding, and following up frequently with clients (in a friendly way). All these actions demonstrate that sales reps care about their potential customers and are invested in helping them. So invest the time to connect – even schedule it on your calendar if you need to. By honing these skills, sales reps can leverage technology’s capabilities to create strong relationships with their customers even from miles away.
Be prepared for anything – have a script, but be ready to go off-script and have fun with it!
For sales professionals and entrepreneurs, the key to success is flexibility. Knowing your product or service inside and out provides you with the foundation for sales calls, video messages, and demonstrations, but the ability to adjust to whatever comes up during those sales meetings is what helps close deals. Having a script is important, but really knowing your customer and thinking on your feet will always win out over a script.
Selling doesn’t have to be boring! In fact, online platforms offer you the chance to showcase your personality along with your product. If you are cheeky in real life- add a dash of that to your social media. If everyone-and-your-mother describes you as quirky, target that quirky base. Love sports or travel or bingo? Incorporate that into your online presence with colors, metaphors, and messaging. Leveraging digital solutions such as video conferencing, virtual phone systems, and online presentations can completely transform the way you approach your sales goals. Have fun with it – Remember, virtual selling should be enjoyable!
Although transitioning from traditional to virtual sales may seem scary, this type of marketing strategy can help you reach potential clients at a larger scale than ever before. Are you ready to add virtual selling to your market strategy? Comment below!