In the era of remote selling, so many distractions have been removed. We're not running through airports or running back from a client lunch to attend that staff meeting. We're not commuting and the stress of traffic is gone. In a way we have more uninterrupted time to process information and complete work. So as it applies to the prospect conversations over the web, it can be hard to know when in a prospect conversation it's ok to actually start recommending solutions. 

So here are a few tips to ensure you stay in a alignment with your prospect and earn the right to make an intelligent recommendation:
1. Make a connection with your humanity: We are all in inside sales now which includes our prospects. Everyone has made the shift to remote work, so be curious about the tools and hacks prospects are using. We are all in this together so I like to lead with genuine care and concern. It's who I am anyway but this matters in the sales and relationship building dialog. Keep it professional but be personal and personable. These initial conversations are about giving, not receiving. 
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2. Realize that there will be at a minimum three steps to your sales process. Typically there will be a get to know you call, a diagnostic call, and a call to review initial recommendations. Of course there will be back and forth emails for clarity and questions, but the are the key legs to the engagement stool. Do your research but don't be afraid to show up to these conversations with insights that you couldn't find on your own. Just make sure they lead to a bigger hypothesis about a problem you can solve or the pebble in the prospect's shoe you're uniquely able to remove. 

3. Be patient. If you want to talk solutions because the prospect is proving you a wealth of insight, remember that rough layouts sell better than finished ones. This is one of the greatest lessons I've ever learned in solution selling. Work harder to collaborate with the prospect on solving the right problem vs. pitching your solution. With that in hand, the next step is a high level approach that entails the prospect's spoken words, interwoven with the credibility that communicates that you and your firm have done this before. If you're going to use a few slides, make sure they say "draft" on them. In the era of remote selling, too final, too soon can make prospects can feel locked out. Most want to have a point of view and see their fingerprints on something they'll ultimately have to sell internally. Set another meeting for a deep dive after you've shared a more final version of a proposal. 

According to HubSpot, there are nearly 7,000,000 salespeople working in the United States. Over 53% of those were holding outside sales positions prior to the pandemic. These were people who signed up for those jobs because they didn't want to be chained to a desk and loved connecting with  personally. Now   we are all working from our home office (or kitchen table) and need to make visceral and kinesthetic connections with only a phone, computer screen and a Zoom link.

Add to that only 16% of the average outside sales person's time was actually spent face-to-face with prospects and clients. So what do we doing now? I come back to our value creation selling curriculum which states that you need to bring relevance and crisp value to prospects...fast. If you ever had to sell the concept of a meeting, now is the time. Use this formula and work it into your messaging: "If you spend 20 minutes with me online, you will leave the conversation better able to make a decision around _________ that can impact your business in this specific way ___________ ."

The good news? The Big 4 management consultancies produce a ton of great research and trend information on the top 10 verticals most salespeople are selling into. But remember, value is role and industry specific - calibrate your message accordingly. To sign up for our Executive Briefing on Building Relationships in the Era of Remote Selling click here. 

Since the spring, salesforces across the country have turned into one large internal desk overnight. PROBLEM? Over half of all salespeople in the US had never sold virtually! The entire sales process now needs to commence remotely (including referrals from COIs), which is putting a premium on getting to know prospects and referral sources intimately without connecting in person. 

                But high performing sales organizations are actually growing their businesses. 

In this 30-minute Briefing Bill Walton and Molly Sargent will share best practices on how to: 

• Enhance remote relationship building with clients and prospects
• Combine sales, business strategy and technology for effective outreach
• Lead sales teams during a digital sales transformation 
• Adopt tech-enabled, "gamified" learning that keep salespeople engaged

So join Bill Walton and Molly Sargent of ProImpress Consulting, an award winning sales enablement consultancy on Thursday October 29th at 3pm EST as we share five distinct best practices for Building Relationships in the era of Remote Selling. 

To Contact Bill or Molly:  Bill Walton and Molly Sargent
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*There will be time for Q & A but feel free send any questions or insights in advance to bwalton@billwaltonsalestraining.com.