5 Tips to Increase Customer Engagement in Virtual Sales Meetings
Before the pandemic, B2B sales were already trending towards going digital — the past two years have merely accelerated the trend. In fact, only 20% of B2B buyers say they want to return to in-person sales. As the new preferred method of both buyers and sellers alike, adapting to virtual sales meetings and learning how to increase customer engagement is vital to success.
While online sales meetings have a wide range of benefits, from easy scheduling to cutting travel costs, they come with an added challenge of keeping a buyer’s attention through the screen. 67% of people report feeling distracted during online meetings, and 62% of reps report losing a sale because they could not meet in person. So, what can you do to keep potential buyers and current customers engaged throughout your sales pitch?
1. Understand Your Customer’s Needs to Increase Customer Engagement
Before selling to a new buyer or upselling a current customer, it’s key to understand their pain points and what your product can solve for them. Simply listing everything your product does won’t hold a buyer’s attention — delivering personalized experiences is now the expectation. Buyers want to hear how the product or service will positively impact their day-to-day lives. 74% of buyers decide to purchase from the company that was the first to demonstrate value.
Value-based selling is the most effective way to understand your buyer’s pain points and increase customer engagement throughout online meetings.
2. Personalize Your Talk Track to Gain Trust
To increase customer engagement in online meetings, come prepared with prior knowledge about the customer and their interests. Perform research on them, whether on social media or otherwise, to make a true connection. Knowing details like where they went to college, what sports teams they like, or their career history helps you to create a personalized approach for the meeting. Starting a conversation with small talk immediately puts buyers (whether new or current customers) at ease by setting a friendly tone for the meeting. Buyers are more interactive from the start, helping them feel more comfortable and engaged before you’ve even begun discussing the product.
3. Present Information in a Visually Appealing Way to Boost Customer Engagement
Visual appeal and interaction strongly impact customer engagement. In fact, our research shows that interactive presentations boost the buyer experience by 25%. Rather than sitting through a lecture and staring at the typical, everyday virtual meeting set-up, providing the buyer with a visually appealing sales presentation and engaging them in a dialogue instantly increases customer engagement.
Prezentor allows reps to create an interactive sales experience for buyers. New buyers and current customers are able to engage with features like:
- ROI calculators that show the value of your solution
- Interactive slides and navigation that make the presentation easy to follow
- Case studies that showcase past success stories
- Dynamic videos and images
Interactive features ensure the buyer is paying attention throughout virtual sales meetings. This not only ensures customer engagement, but helps your presentation stand out from the competition.
4. Value Your Buyer’s Time in Virtual Sales Meetings
Since virtual meetings require no travel, most buyers sit through multiple online meetings per day. With 58% of introverts and 40% of extroverts reporting exhaustion from online meetings, respecting your buyer’s time matters. Dragging out online sales meetings longer than needed or spending too much time on extra details only increases their fatigue.
In order to increase customer engagement, try to keep your sales meetings 30 minutes or shorter. Sticking only to the information that communicates value to the buyer keeps the meeting on track and to the point. This shows the buyer that you value their time and attention.
5. Follow Up After The Meeting
Just like you would follow up after in-person meetings, following up after an online sales meeting is just as important. Whether this is a simple recap of the meeting, sending along additional sales materials, or scheduling another meeting, following up lets the buyer know that you:
- Enjoyed speaking with them
- Value their time and attention
- Want to help provide a solution to their problem
A follow-up email increases customer engagement by keeping you top-of-mind. This is also the perfect opportunity to share additional sales content, like demo videos, that are too lengthy for an online meeting or are meant for the buyer to view on their own time.
Final thoughts
As virtual sales meetings become the new normal, keeping customer engagement through the screen is the key to success. Doing research, providing interactive content, and following up can help you keep buyers (new and seasoned) engaged with your product through online meetings and beyond.
Schedule a demo with Prezentor to see how interactive content can increase win rates for your sales team.