How To Embrace Virtual Selling For High-Dollar B2C Sales

If you’re like most sales professionals right now, then you’re trying to figure out this whole Virtual Selling thing.

And if you’re selling big ticket B2C items like cars or homes, then this shift to digital might feel especially jarring.

The key to embracing Virtual Selling is normalizing the experience for yourself and your customer.

When it comes to building a one-on-one connection with your prospect virtually, nothing beats video.

The first step is to normalize the experience for yourself so that you can quickly start using video to connect with your customers.

But if you don’t buy into it, then there’s very little hope of getting your customer on board.

Communicating via video is not new technology.

Video chat has been a thing since the first Star Trek episode aired on television back in the 1960s.

Today, everyone has access to video chat and more people are using it every single day.

The current circumstances are bringing about a necessity for video conferencing.

Just look at your social feeds.

Chances are, you’ll see screenshot after screenshot of Zoom meetings.

Whether it’s a Zoom Happy Hour, sometimes called Appy Hour, or a more personal affair like a Virtual Baby Shower.

That’s social proof that people are doing it every day.

And if it’s normal in our daily life, then it’s a normal way to approach shopping and buying whether it’s a new suit, a new car or a new home.

The faster you embrace the technology, the faster that you’re going to thrive in a world of Virtual Selling.

The next thing you need to do is to normalize this experience for your customer.

The idea here is to provide context and social proof for your prospect.

People are indeed shopping and buying for big ticket items virtually.

As you craft your introduction message, it might sound something like this…

“Hey, thanks so much for taking time to connect with me!

Let me ask you, do you video chat often with your family and friends?

Well, more and more we’re seeing that this is how people are working, socializing, shopping and yes, buying.

I do this all the time and my job is to make it super easy for you.

So can I ask you a few quick questions?

I just want to make sure that I’m steering you in the right direction here.”

Your positive and reassuring tone is critical in this process.

Be sure to craft and practice your own version of this introduction.

Next, I want to encourage you to build a video chat toolbox that will enable you to work with as many prospects as you can.

Of course, the simple idea of recording a short video on your smart phone and texting or emailing it to your customer always works.

But, let’s talk a little more about video chat.

Video chat is a real two-way live video conversation that are hosted with online platforms like Zoom, GoToMeeting, Join Me and a host of others.

You might also want to think about video chat platforms that have a screen-sharing feature.

Screen sharing is helpful if you want to share something visual with your prospect like progress photos, floor plans or documents, in real time.

Don’t get hung up on finding the perfect platform.

Just become proficient in the platform that you do choose.

Once you have the right apps in place, you may want to add a few more tools in your virtual selling toolbox.

If you’re using your smartphone for a lot of video chats, consider adding a small tripod to your toolbox.

After a while, it gets a little laborious just to hold your hand out with your phone.

Not to mention those angles aren’t….great.

If you’re video chatting on your computer, consider adding a webcam that can position on top of your monitor so that you’re projecting a pleasant and positive view of yourself.

Consider adding a Lumix cube or a small ring light to pleasantly light your face on camera.

And then lastly, consider adding an external microphone to your computer.

I know your computer probably has a microphone built in somewhere, but like the internal camera it’s probably pretty small and not great quality.

Setting the tech part aside, the most important aspect of this communication is your energy and your confidence.

It’s hard to bring the energy required for Virtual Selling if you’re not confident.

The answer to building confidence is practice.

Practice using your virtual technology over and over until you are comfortable.

Only then can you bring that calm confidence to your buyer.

Work on normalizing the Virtual Selling experience for yourself and your customer.

Assemble your Virtual Selling toolbox and practice, practice, practice.