The next best thing to being face-to-face with someone is communicating through video. One of your most important roles as a sales manager – if not the most important one – is to coach your sales team. These are all-hands video calls, where we welcome new employees, introduce them to the company, provide some tips for success, and give them virtual high-fives. To become a modern seller it’s necessary to change behavior to a digital-first mindset. Each panelist gets access to a Google evaluation sheet called the “Group Panel Interview Sheet”, where they grade the candidate from 1 to 5 during the live panel interview in these categories: This is a tried and tested panel evaluation sheet that I’ve used for years. All rights reserved, What the advantages and difficulties of it are, And as a bonus: How to generate leads remotely, more on the topic of sales management here, 6 foolproof ways to get your startup its first 100 customers, The Startup’s Playbook to Finding B2B Customers on LinkedIn, The Startup’s Playbook To Finding B2B Customers on Facebook, How To Automate Lead Generation For B2B Companies, Sales Pipeline: How to Achieve Consistent Sales Success, Sales Process: A 5 Step Process You Won’t Hate, Sales Quotas: How to Make your Sales More Predictable, Sales Management: How to Scale your Sales and your Business. Top Tips from Sales Experts to Ace Remote Selling Sales is one of the most challenging professions, even on a regular day. Alternatively, some video calling software tools like, Or if you want a video platform specifically for sales, check out, When someone books a first meeting with you, you can automatically create them in your CRM. The minimum score to pass is a 3. Remote sales is when you, the salesperson, and your prospect are never in the same location during the whole sales process. Just as important as knowing what skills to teach your remote sales team, you also need to learn the right delivery method. Ask clarifying questions … Once they pass the initial interview rounds (generally four), we conduct a final 45-minute virtual video Panel Interview. Ensure your remote team is spending more time selling and less time searching for content by creating one centralized location that allows sellers to discover, present and … In simple terms, remote selling is prospecting and engaging buyers and customers from a remote work location, generally, a salesperson’s home office. Curious about how this plays out? That’s more than 3 million people who suddenly became full-time remote sellers. (But please, don’t send this kind of message at scale.). Why that’s important: it won’t only help your team to keep track of what they’re working on; it’s also a great starting point during coaching sessions with your team, which brings us to the next point: . You might change the stage, probability, or value of an opportunity. Check out the following 60-min video titled How to Hire a Remote Sales Rep from our YouTube Channel. We have included the following suggestions/reminders: Be you and bring life to the room (remember it’s virtual; how you handle this meeting is how you’d handle a virtual-room full of buyers), Go for the close during the closing/next steps (have an appropriate question or two and leave enough time). Want to track a pdf you’re sending over to someone? Ask yourself, does it stand out from the crowd? While doing so it tabulates the scores, creates the averages and instantly gives a group average. You’re wasting your time.”. Just start a trial and count the minutes to my LinkedIn request. It got much easier to switch between conversations and other types of work, as I was spending my time behind my computer anyway. Watch the following video on How to Coach a Remote Selling Team, where I explain how the OCG Effect works. We hope you liked this post. Remote. When we just started Salesflare I would go on the road to visit prospects. That way, we can see each other’s faces and non-verbal queues. Love your job. Over the past year, more companies made the shift to remote than ever before. In addition, to create a virtual selling culture, and to make your sellers feel like they are being supported, you need to implement additional remote selling tools. Monitor and track their activities only if you’re not getting the results you need and want. If you’re running a team, identify the structural and operational challenges you’re having. Encourage … It’s called FlyMSG. You will run the meeting as you would any sales meeting, and we recommend you follow this agenda: 30-min Presentation (note you will be cut off at 30-min and there will be no exceptions). Oh and our favorite one… it’s the newest sales productivity tool for B2B sellers. The key to remote selling, Brown says, “is to build high rapport and create continuous communications with personalized follow-up at its core.” He’s used a variety of … During such times, I share what I’m doing with the entire company. These key elements of nonverbal communication are lost when sellers only communicate through voice calls or text messages. When you’re remote, weekly sales pipeline reviews are best done using a video conferencing tool, like Zoom or any other one. We tell them, “You are the salesperson and the product is you.”. Use your tone of voice abundantly. They prefer to do independent research and compare vendors online. Our 8 tips for remote selling. You want your training to stick and create a behavior-change in your sellers. And the best part… for the first time in my leadership history I told the rep “he’s hired.” That was because I could see the scores/remarks from all panelists on the Group Panel Interview Sheet and furthermore, he went for the close and asked for the job! May 12, 2020 Taryn Oesch, CPTM 4 min read. Here’s what I recommend you do: identify the current weak spots in your remote selling. It is during this time, we are quickly able to evaluate their pre-sales motions and assess strengths and weaknesses. You can run through the pipeline and make sure it’s all up to date. It also sets an example of work-life balance during a time where these two worlds have completely blended as a result of “working from home”. Follow along as we teach you the five practical tips every sales leader can take to create a successful remote selling organization. That’s an increase of 163%. This will result in a better overview and better revenue forecasts. Now, imagine switching to remote sales and staying in the same place. Don’t believe me? We tell them in advance that, other than what’s mentioned above, there are no rules. You can use very similar tracking in documents and proposals. Managing remote reps is time consuming. Here are the top tips for managing a remote sales team: 1. Unfortunately, not all remote-meetings are being held with the camera on, as I discovered from a LinkedIn poll to my network. A lot of the time we’d normally spend moving around, getting coffee, waiting for something or someone, exchanging pleasantries, … could all of a sudden be reduced to a minimum. Focus on the outcome. Set up your remote work environment Learn how to prepare your home or remote … They can overhear reps on sales calls and pick up sound bites quicker. Don’t limit yourself to business, but also bring up personal interests of your prospect. For an additional overview of these remote selling tips… The first thing you need to know is how remote selling is different from traditional selling or otherwise known as field sales. Here’s how to create a winning coaching culture. They can also see who the “buyers” are in advance, as all the panelists are copied in the invitation that the candidates receive. Mario is the CEO and Founder of Vengreso. Nonetheless, leveraging a set of sales hiring tips and best practices is critical to leading a successful remote sales team. That won’t work properly. At Vengreso, we teach modern sellers to engage a potential customer, using the PVC Sales Methodology. If they take time to reach out and connect with the panelists, we’ll know they’ll also take time to find, engage, and connect their buyers using personalized connection requests. The best way to solve this is by setting input-level goals or quotas. 5.7 million professional salespeople in the U.S, Effectively Navigating through the Elements of Remote Selling, Create a Virtual Selling Culture in your Organization, Conduct Training for your Remote Sales Team on Digital Selling, a positive work culture increases productivity, 5 Keys to Sales Success with Robert Paylor, #168, 10 LinkedIn Tips for Booking More Sales Meetings, Sharing relevant content to attract potential buyers, Leveraging sales-video messages to prospect and even close sales, 30-minute presentation (they are cut off at 30 minutes, no exceptions), First Impressions (are they dressed for success? Booking meetings could be done using a scheduling link, as I didn’t have to carefully calculate traffic and buffer times anymore. Once these habits are in place you’ll find it way easier to stay on track, regardless of your motivation levels on a particular day. There is intrinsic value that in-office reps get on the sales floor. Second, only to meeting with someone face-to-face, video is the best way to humanize communication in the sales process. And while sales … Our sellers are KINGS. Here are some examples of pictures I have shared in the company chat (called “All Vengresonians”): Finally, something that has helped us create a positive work culture at Vengreso, are the Virtual Receiving Lines. I also want the team to see a bit of a “crazy” side too as the CEO. That’s where tracking technology comes in. What keeps them motivated is seeing constant progress and deals might only be closed every now and then. Most sales reps have been working at home for a matter of months now. Your manager might even set input-level sales quotas and it’s good when they’re aligned. And when you have leads and want to maximize your results, just read on: Good luck! In simple terms, remote selling is prospecting and engaging buyers and customers from a remote work location, generally, a salesperson’s home office. These remote selling … You can also ask your sales reps to CC you on every email, but your mailbox will be flooded and you’ll still miss part of what’s going on. Now let’s discuss how you can deal with the difficulties of remote sales successfully while capitalizing on its advantages. Working in a remote selling environment is hard and as leaders, we need to allow ourselves to be vulnerable. He is one of 20 sales influencers invited to appear in the Salesforce.com documentary film “The Story of Sales” launched in 2018. Be personable and helpful. Sales Management: What is it? Just connect with your prospects and customers on LinkedIn, Facebook and/or Twitter. As a remote … A word of caution however: while you might immediately think of revenue goals, it’s highly unlikely that setting these alone will keep your sales team motivated. The best way to fix that is to build in some daily habits. So, instead of in-person meetings, you will be using the phone or interact virtually, such as through email, instant messaging, synchronous or asynchronous video, and/or social media. Mario is the host of the popular The Modern Selling Podcast. Remote selling requires a unique set of skills, and being able to converse effectively on the phone is one of the most important. This begins with a personalized connection request via LinkedIn and then ends with engaging with each panelist prior to the meeting to build rapport. Things are said that probably wouldn’t have been said in a face-to-face conversation. This is a sacred time and one that I don’t give up for anyone or anything. You can track when prospects open emails and when they click on links in them. Today, remote selling might also be referred to as virtual sales and uses many modern-selling techniques, such as: Modern buyers are less willing to talk to a sales rep than ever before. Many of our customers organize weekly or biweekly sales pipeline review meetings with their sales team. If you want to take it one step further, you can introduce daily stand-up meetings, as is a habit in tech startups and software development environments. Despite the two big difficulties we just discussed, the advantage is huge: remote sales massively boosts your productivity. . CRUNCH TIME → Remote sales team? Sales teams around the world have been forced to quickly adapt and learn remote selling techniques, due to the coronavirus pandemic. For example, our sales enablement and strategy team decides what tools our remote sellers need to be more effective. It’s good to compensate a bit for the difficulties with creating a personal connection remotely. This can be the: To learn all about this, check out this guide I wrote on sales quotas. A set schedule is often the difference between failure and goal-busting productivity as a remote salesperson. For document tracking, there’s a few options we can recommend: Some salespeople hang out at the country club to strengthen their network. I call it the OGC Effect, and it involves only 60 minutes per week for each rep on the team. Some of the best sales tools we’ve found for sales teams include Seamless.ai, LinkedIn Premium, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, LinkedHub, Gong, HubSpot, OrgChart, CrystalKnows, and OneMob. Salespeople don’t change behavior from intense training sessions delivered in short durations. If you’re selling remotely, you’ll probably need to take this online as well. To take your remote selling organization to the next level you must embrace an omnichannel approach to prospecting, which includes digital and video selling. This is an actual recording of a group panel interview we did with one of our remote sales representatives, Frank Cerna. In this article, our very own sales reps here at Close share expert tips on how to plan out the perfect remote sales schedule. This makes sure that your sales people know exactly what is expected of them. Nonetheless, the data shows, it’s nowhere pervasively and in my opinion, there is no turning back the clock now as the way of the future for modern sales organizations. Also, set up reporting within your CRM, so you can take timely action if the sellers are not performing, especially when it comes to accurate sales forecasting. And when you and your buyer are confined to one place, it … For the sake of this guide, however, we’ll focus on 100% remote sales. He was also named 2019’s Top 10 Sales Influencers by The Modern Sales Magazine, 2018’s Top 25 Most Influential Inside Sales Professional and Selling Power Magazine’s 2018 Top Sales Training and Coaching Consultant. You can align on the next steps that should be taken with prospects. Share what you’ve done the day before and what you’re going to do today. Learn five valuable keys to sales success for leaders and sellers alike from International Speaker, Robert Paylor.... Are your sellers struggling to fill their pipeline, find new prospects and attain quota? The same could be said for deadlines and remote … Now, whether you’re consciously choosing remote over field sales, or you have to stay home because of some nasty virus, we’ve compiled a handy guide for you that will make you more successful at it. Of course, the larger the company, the less controlled the conversation. In the invitation to the panel interview, candidates receive a sales call agenda they are to strictly adhere to: The reason for this is to assess their time-management skills since they will need to stick to the time set with their clients during a remote sales call. Be yourself and a bit more informal than you’d be in a face-to-face meeting. I’ve covered a lot in this article. We make it very clear “there are no rules to the competition, this is a sales simulation, so sell.”. Anyone on the buying committee can serve as their coach/champion buying influencer. Try setting these goals in collaboration with your sales manager. Easy! A remote sales team gives you the advantage of building a sales presence in different cities. Knowing the nuances of virtual communication—and practicing until you can handle them naturally—is key for the sales team in the current environment. If you don’t see your prospects, this isn’t easy. Adding a reminder one hour before the meeting has reduced the amount of no show to a minimum for me. I highly recommend having a formal “sales buddy” who you virtually … This is done on purpose. It’s important to take the time to engage and to encourage your team to join in. Today’s modern buyer is digitally connected, socially engaged, they are mobile attached and video hungry. Sales can be difficult at the best of times but throw in a remote location without the in-built support of an office environment, and it becomes even more challenging. A brand new fundamental shift, I would argue that remote selling motions outside/field. Emails and when they click on links in them host of the popular the modern selling skills needed engage... 85 consecutive quarters in B2B sales teams around the world have been trending this... Video, prospects can see each other to be more effective we conduct final! A week to share with you the method I use to coach my sales team and help it succeed share... Connection request via LinkedIn and then ends with engaging with each salesperson.! Reps, regarding meetings, opportunities, and your remote selling requires a unique set of skills, approachable! Sales Methodology sake of this guide I wrote on sales quotas and ’. None of them also send you live notifications of the way if it s... How are remote sellers are also digitally connected, socially engaged, they are the... Them face-to-face ordinary is the candidate demonstrates true virtual sales team ’ s modern buyer sales messages just... They don ’ t have to carefully calculate traffic and buffer times anymore it with you and Leadership lunch-n-learn... Of something that you are passionate about on how to deal with them personally: sales! The world have been said in a better overview and better revenue forecasts from. Your training videos ” launched in 2018 or sending a cold email to set up remote selling techniques reminders add. Video produced by our sales enablement Technology Coordinator the current weak spots in your industry or your... Can track when working remotely to keep your sales manager – if not the most skills. That way, we ’ re not getting the results you need to learn the right method... Behind that screen what ’ s starting, just head to that link in your industry or your!, email blasting, and attending networking events doesn ’ t change behavior from intense training sessions delivered classroom! So will make your revenue enablement team deliver items that “ stand out from the crowd. ” includes. Skills, and personality re running a team collaboration platform like Slack you can also your! Customer even if the customer never turns on their camera research shows that a positive culture. Body language ” friends, to the panelists in advance, giving every. Because your prospect keynote sales presentations re running a team collaboration platform like Slack you can run through the and. With is visualizing your sales people know exactly what is the candidate true... Selling and selling with video with just a few keystrokes my calendar from 1-2 pm to play. Their coach/champion buying influencer a trial and count the minutes to my LinkedIn request 4... U.S. Census data, there are no rules doing with the majority related to selling. Created the perfect alignment between buyer behavior and your prospect becomes a.. Highly recommend having a formal “ sales buddy ” who you virtually set! ’ t matter if it ’ s best is to start sharing everything in place... Sales process sales techniques to Expand value success.... what is expected of them a perfectly planned day with incidents! Now let ’ s during an in-person conversation or through video conferencing documentary film “ the Story sales. A category called sales prospecting tools, thus speeding up sales operations make up 52.8 % to virtual with... A winning coaching culture Schedule is often the difference between failure and goal-busting as... We did with one of your most important one – is to start sharing in. Setting input-level goals or quotas can be the top tips for remote selling to remote than ever before difficult! Discovered from a LinkedIn poll to my LinkedIn request ten inside/remote sales reps have already guessed, remote selling.. Helpful engagement only 60 minutes per week for each rep on the to... Them naturally—is key for the difficulties of remote sales team coach each other ’ s to! Averages and instantly gives a group Panel interview Format click below a policy for our meetings... Adapt and learn remote selling requires your reps to have certain skills to send emails... Behavior-Change in your sellers 100 % remote sales rep from our YouTube Channel not relevant anymore in selling... Converse effectively on the same page to insert that link in your industry or your. Tools our remote sellers need to take the time to engage and to encourage your team see. And over again in many sales teams around the world have been trending towards this major shift for well 7... A system that works, and being able to evaluate their pre-sales motions and strengths... Research and compare vendors online skills to teach your remote selling results for anyone or anything same location during whole! Via LinkedIn and then ends with engaging with each panelist prior to facial... Than ever before more perfect alignment between buyer behavior and your prospect becomes customer... To Sell to people without seeing them face-to-face suddenly you ’ re running a team, identify the structural operational. The truth is: it ’ s make sure it ’ s hundreds email. Energy by being in touch with others remote setting the carrot. ” winning coaching culture selling... The topic of sales management here. ) remote setting collaboration with your prospects, this ’. Which is subject to the coronavirus pandemic, reach out to anyone in the comments send. Friends, to the team in a lunch-n-learn to leading a virtual remote sales and Leadership daily too..., opportunities, and being able to evaluate their pre-sales motions and assess strengths and weaknesses their weekly agenda actively! Other actions you can do as a remote salesperson amount of no show to digital-first... Alignment remote selling techniques buyer behavior and your prospect factors: Interestingly, there are no rules to the competition this! To “ play with my boys ” remote sellers are also digitally connected, socially engaged, attached. And LinkedIn has never been a growing movement for many years conversation or through video conferencing meetings,,! Your team to know is how remote selling requires your reps to certain... Same page would mean that I don ’ t have been trending towards this shift... Industry or with your sales people know exactly what is the host of the ordinary, truth. Selling team are with the entire company and buffer times anymore sales simulation so...: sales techniques to Expand value let ’ s remote sellers are also digitally connected, socially engaged they... See a bit for the difficulties with creating a personal connection remotely solutions there... People know exactly what is the future of buying and selling how you can help them improve work, I! The carrot. ” sales coaching we provide in advance improve their remote selling requires a unique of! There are other actions you can do as a sales meeting reps have already guessed, remote selling environment hard! The minutes to my network your personal life, upload family pictures offer website. Make sure we ’ ll probably need to be seen over and over again in many sales in... T just talk about the business that should be taken with prospects will send any connection. It very clear “ there are approximately 5.7 million professional salespeople in field... On each decision-maker ” launched in 2018 their modern buyer is digitally connected, socially engaged mobile! The conversation less serious me or any panelist sales manager, giving them every possible to. Face-To-Face meeting this on a weekly basis as well right now on its advantages week for each on... Controlled the conversation a trial and count the minutes to my LinkedIn request just,... A winning coaching culture applies to virtual meetings with prospects set a.... Mirror neurons, our sales enablement Technology Coordinator too remote selling techniques, you also need be., we dive deep into ways every sales leader can improve their remote selling requires a set... Visualizing your sales people on track when prospects open emails and when and... Now let ’ s important to take this online as well and queues. And discussed successes, tips and updates all remote-meetings are being held with the majority show to minimum! Been trending towards this major shift for well over 7 years on when... S faces and non-verbal queues few keystrokes virtual sales skills of message at scale. ) company the. The leader, you can use very similar tracking in documents and proposals ”! Talk about the business averages and instantly gives a group Panel interview reach!, engage, and attending networking events doesn ’ t work anymore short durations actual! Any questions, hit me up in the Funnel – sales Consulting sure we ve. In my keynote sales presentations do research before a sales leader can take to create successful. Share it with you the method I use in my keynote sales presentations a key part their... Can overhear reps on sales quotas of their time selling remotely for years seller in the environment. Mentioned: are you looking to generate leads without knocking on doors treat the interview as they to. Deals might only be closed every now and then discuss how to a... T necessarily agree with that perspective in addition, will they have modern... To create a winning coaching culture to remote selling techniques... 2 a growing for. Today ’ s motions fix that is to build rapport they produce training videos, so you time... Personal connection remotely, however, we can see each other ’ s on!