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If you’re an ambitious salesperson, building and delivering compelling sales presentations should be your focus in the new work environment. Salespeople who master sales presentations in the virtual and hybrid workplace will outshine their techno-novice counterparts and make a mark on the prospects they seek to convert into clients. That’s because:
Virtual or hybrid sales presentations are the norm
Most businesses will be hybrid in the coming years if they aren’t already. Research from Zippia found that “74% of U.S. companies are using or plan to implement a permanent hybrid work model.” Most businesses learned from the pandemic that work can be conducted online and that they could reduce the line item called “office space” on their expenses by allowing people to work from home. It’s also because that’s what today’s talent demands. The same study found that 59% of employees are more likely to choose an employer that offers remote work opportunities over one that doesn’t, and 55% of employees want to work remotely at least three days a week.
It’s harder to present in this environment
Over the past three years, we learned that there’s more than enough tech to facilitate virtual meetings, but investing in tech doesn’t ensure proficiency. Despite having attended and led lots of virtual meetings by now, few salespeople have taken the time (and mustered the courage) to master the medium. Yes, learning new software comes with a lot of inherent challenges. But so does delivering an online pitch, and the biggest of those challenges is simply getting your audience to pay attention. It seems that as participants, we just don’t take virtual meetings as seriously as their more upscale, in-person cousins. The clients you seek to land are watching you on a 13” screen that’s connected to everything else they could be doing. And because most people think they can multitask, they do. Yet only 2.5% of us are wired to multitask successfully. Being a virtuoso in the virtual world will give you a competitive edge with those overwhelmed audiences.
The sales pitch is a make-or-break moment
Of course, getting the opportunity to pitch is key to getting a sale. So making it to the pitch meeting is a major milestone. But as all salespeople know, the pitch does not guarantee a sale. Most prospective clients are evaluating multiple solutions. The pitch is your opportunity to wow the prospect and become the final choice, or to at least make it to the next round of evaluations. While some of your competitors focus all their attention on what they’re selling, those who spend as much time on the how they present what they’re selling virtually—in a wildly engaging way—are the ones who will land the sale. You’ll also build your personal brand at your company by demonstrating your hybrid sales savvy.
It’s the ultimate opportunity to stand out
Despite having years to get good at online meetings and presentations, most salespeople aren’t fully skilled at captivating online. And that’s good news. When you master the techniques and skills required to deliver a powerful virtual presentation, you’ll leap from the pack, and prospective clients will notice. Since most online meeting presentations are ho-hum, you have plenty of room to make an outsized impact and outshine the competition.
To deliver a powerful presentation online, master the Three M’s of virtual presentations:
- Magnetic. You can either capture the audience’s attention from the beginning or confirm for them that this is going to be another monotonous meeting in between the one they just ended and the one that will follow it. To be magnetic, you need to sizzle from the start. That means creating an opening that is unexpected or intriguing. First impressions last.
- Mesmerizing. Capturing their attention is a great start, but if the presentation takes a turn toward mediocre, you’ve lost your audience. And they’re off doing things that do not include giving you their undivided attention. To mesmerize, use stories and nested narratives to weave together logical aspects of your pitch with emotional appeal. In addition, arouse curiosity and give prospects a reason to pay attention to the end by incorporating a curiosity chasm (the space between what you know and what you want to know). And to counteract autopilot (i.e., not truly paying attention because of too much sameness), re-mix your content, style and format regularly and include interstitials to keep your audience on their toes.
- Memorable. You want your prospective clients to remember your presentation long after they click “end meeting.” Identify what you can include that will make the presentation memorable so when it comes time to making a choice on what to purchase, your presentation will be top of mind. You can also include some engaging content from the presentation in your follow-up email—like the results of polls you take.
Salespeople who learn and apply the skills of presenting virtually have the greatest opportunity to shine online and turn prospects into clients.
William Arruda is a keynote speaker, co-founder of CareerBlast.TV and co-creator of the Personal Brand Power Audit - a complimentary quiz that helps you measure the strength of personal brand.
