In this post, we’re going to explore some of the best practices around selling remotely.
4 best practices for selling remotely
It often doesn’t matter what you’re selling, the foundation for selling is always the same. Even remotely the process doesn’t change much. But there are a few things you need to consider when your team is selling in a remote world that you wouldn't typically have to think about.
Give your team the right tools for the job
This one is huge. You really can’t do any job without the right tools and remote sales are no different. The biggest challenge here is that you need to have a suite of tools that can be safely accessed and used by your sales team from anywhere.
Luckily, we live in a golden age for cloud-based productivity tools. At the very least, you should equip your team with one of the following tools:
- Video conferencing tool - video (as you’ll see below) is a hugely important tool when it comes to sales. If you can’t meet in person, being able to see each other on video is the next best thing. A solid video conferencing platform, like the now-ubiquitous Zoom, can help your sales team connect with prospective customers in a meaningful way. And it gives the team a way to communicate with each other face to face virtually (to help keep the disconnect that comes with working remotely at bay).
- CRM - You’re probably already using a good CRM to qualify your leads and track the deals in your pipeline. But if you’re not, now’s the time to start. Giving your team a central place to manage their sales efforts from anywhere can help boost their productivity.
- Messaging tool - You want your team to be able to fire off quick questions or share intel or even just chat amongst themselves in a way that both recreates the casual banter at work and doesn’t interrupt the workflow too much. Messaging tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams make it possible. You can create channels to serve specific purposes, such as team-specific channels or channels for general company or office updates.
- Sales performance management tool - We talk a lot about the importance of having a good tool for managing sales commissions for sales, and it’s just as important to have one for remote sales.
Video is the key to success
The real trick to using video for remote sales is less about using it to connect “face to face” and more about using it to create little personalized moments that stand out during the sales process.
Get creative. Encourage your team members to record short video follow-ups that address any questions prospects may have. Have them record thank you videos. Anything they can do to add a more personal touch during sales is going to help your company stand out. Keep the videos short, though. Three to five minutes is a good length, with shorter being better.
Doing this helps your sales team stand out a little more in a sea of emails and phone calls.
Have a dedicated workspace (and focus on comfort)
Just like in the office, making sure your salespeople have a dedicated workspace when working remotely can have a huge impact on the productivity of your team. It’s better for focus, it reduces interruptions, and it also helps keep workplace information safe.
Make sure your team knows they should prioritize a comfortable workspace. Provide the option for your team members to purchase a standing desk, ergonomic chair, or other types of furniture (reimbursed by the company) that will enable them to work productively and comfortably.
Get good at remote demos
Chances are, your team is already pretty good at doing demos of your product remotely, especially if they are selling software or a similar kind of product. Video with screen sharing is very powerful and enables them to show the capabilities of the product, and still communicate directly with your potential customer while you’re doing the demo.
If they can run demos through hotkeys, do it. It’ll keep the mouse cursor from running all over the screen. Notifications should be kept off to keep them from popping up on the screen during the demo and to eliminate the notification sound that comes with it. Keeping notifications off is especially important because if they have coworkers sharing memes or venting frustrations, the customer could see it, potentially leading to some fairly embarrassing situations.
Need help?
We can’t help you manage all aspects of your remote sales program, but we can help you with sales performance management.
Performio has all the tools you need to manage, track, and calculate sales commissions no matter where your team is working. Want to find out more? Contact us today.