Reaching out to potential customers or prospecting has never been easy because it requires ample convincing. The shift to a virtual world with people working from home in a remote setting has pushed the envelope even further, making the jobs of salespeople much more complex. However, the sales teams from any company or organization cannot just shut down; they have to carry on. How does a salesperson or a sales team survive in this virtual selling world? Here's a glimpse at some of the prospective tactics you can use.
Cold calling is a popular tactic used by salespersons to sell products and services. However, simply sticking to this approach puts a strain on your business and the investment made on it. In a virtual selling world, targeting those prospects who are already interested in your product or service should raise the probability of a deal.
Finding the correct prospects isn't that easy though; but with experience, you should be able to build a persona and find prospects based on it. It is a process with an ever-learning curve, but it helps target prospective customers and avoid those who aren't interested. Eventually, the end goal is to sell, and an exciting prospect is any day better than converting an uninterested person into a customer.
Ever since the caller ID feature on phones has become widely available, people have started rejecting calls from any salesperson. Also, customers know who’s calling even before they pick up the call thanks to the caller ID. Tactics to call prospective customers include introducing yourself to the company and explaining the purpose of the call. An open-ended question can help break the ice. Being attentive and a problem solver makes for a good sales pitch that could help you convert the prospect into a paying customer.
Call it a multi-touch or multiple channel approach, using more than one way escalates the probability of hitting gold in a goldmine. Gone are the days when simply calling or dropping a text to prospective leads was okay. Research points out that 71% of people born after 1983 prefer getting a voicemail or text if they miss a call. Selling in a virtual world involves many channels such as voice calls, emails, video calls, etc.
The chances of a lead responding to your cold call or email increases by almost five times if you use multiple channels to approach a prospect. In simple words, dropping a voicemail and shooting an email are among the best approaches should a prospective customer miss your call for any reason.
A video has to be one of the most compelling approach channels available out there. It is certainly a high-cost medium for a viewer but a high-value medium as well. A video that you shoot should contain insights on your business, what you can do, and a compelling storyline to get the hits you expect. Without an exciting video, the chances of prospective leads converting might be slim. It means making sure the videos you send out in the virtual selling world are the finest of the lot.
Selling is an art that needs to be learned and perfected with time. At MCC Coaching, we have coached 400+ business owners, mentoring them across all horizons in managing a business and the art of selling. Avail world-class coaching consulting on business development and all the functions within an organization that you can apply in real life to transform your business to the next level.