SALES TIP #9
When it comes to building relationships, there’s no substitute for being in the same room. You know if your client is paying attention. You can pick up on hidden messages. You are able to showcase your personality. The handshake alone goes a long way!
Across the table, your client is able to listen more easily. They can express themselves through subtle cues in body language and facial expressions. Conversation flows naturally!
Contrast this to a virtual meeting, and we begin to understand why discussion and engagement are so challenging when we meet remotely:
- You cannot read the audience well to know if the client is tracking along with the points you are making.
- You don’t know when they have questions or comments, or even when they have started to fade away.
- Presenters tend to get on a roll and keep plowing ahead, forgetting there is an audience on the receiving end.
- Your client has a hard time knowing when they can interrupt.
- And lastly, distractions abound! Your client is constantly tempted to multitask.
All of this has a major impact on how productive your engagement is with your client. Virtual meetings have become transactional, and we need to make them relational.
There is a solution, and it’s in the way we run meetings. We need one person who is responsible for running the meeting.
ONE PERSON must take charge — from start to finish. That person becomes the traffic cop, watching out for everyone and ensuring that the meeting delivers everything you want it to, and more importantly, everything that the client needs.
Here are techniques that will help you be an effective Traffic Cop
1. Preparing for the meeting
- Structure the meeting, decide who’s doing what, and gain agreement from the team on the key points each presenter needs to make and how much time they each have to deliver their section. Knowing who owns what allows everyone to stay in their own ‘swim lane’.
- Plan for less time than you have been given. Very rarely do things go perfectly, so leave time for the unexpected.
2. Opening the meeting
- Do a time check. Confirm the meeting will run until X o’clock or adjust to the amount of time the client gives you.
- Share what you want the client to get out of this meeting. Headline it. Focus on their challenges. Make it intriguing. You want them to mentally commit to this meeting.
- Share what you will be talking about today and in what order. Then ask for their input.
Examples:
“Today we plan to talk about X, Y, and Z and we'll leave extra time at the end for... How does that sound?”
"What's the most important thing you want to get out of this meeting today?"
- Pay close attention to what they say because it's likely a topic that is very important to them. You may even need to take notes!
- Respond accordingly. Be clear when you will address the topic they've raised. If not now, give them a reason for holding off until later in the meeting. For example, some of what you have prepared may be important context for what they want to talk about. Do not leave this topic until the very end when you are running out of time.
- Introduce the team by describing what each person will be covering. Say something complimentary about why they are the person you invited to join this meeting and the unique value they bring.
You now have a firm sense of the time, agreement from the client on the meeting’s flow, and you’ve engaged them in conversation.
3. Managing each section
- Just as the meeting began with an overall message, so should each section. Give them the headline of what is coming. Make it intriguing to spike their attention.
- At the end of each section, close with a summary of what they just heard. Make it easy for them to take from the meeting what you want them to take. Leave nothing open for interpretation.
- Before moving on to the next section, invite them to speak.
Example:
“Before we move on, what questions can I answer?” (pause, pause, pause, pause)
This is a natural break, so take advantage of it by pausing long enough for them to formulate their thoughts, hit the unmute button, and speak. Do not move on until you are sure everyone has been heard and is in a good place.
- Do another time check (at least one) two-thirds of the way through the meeting. Since you confirmed time during your opening, you can now use time as a reason to check-in again. Show the client that you are looking out for them while also subtly managing the meeting.
Example:
“We talked about being finished at 2 o’clock, and I know you still wanted to cover X and Y. Given that, how would you like to use these last 20 minutes?”
- Their answer tells you what’s most important to them and helps you redirect your team.
Example:
“Jim, why don’t you spend 8 minutes on X and Mary, you take about 6 minutes on Y, which will leave us 5 minutes for summary and final questions. How does that sound to everyone?”
Not only are you managing the time you’ve been given, but you come across as helpful and empathetic to the client’s needs.
4. Handing off from one presenter to the next
- You have two choices. The last presenter hands off to the next presenter. Or the Traffic Cop (typically the Sales Lead) manages the handoffs.
- The advantage of the Traffic Cop taking transitions back is that you can present yourself as the client’s advocate by handling the summary, asking for questions, and providing the headline to the next section. Engaging the client as an active participant in the meeting is vital to building relationships in a virtual world.
In summary
You don’t have to be in the same room to build relationships. In a virtual world, it’s all about how well you run the meeting and engage the client. The good news is your clients want to engage with you. You just need to create opportunities for them to do so.