Original Post by Arkadin Blog Team
Web conferencing done correctly puts the keys in the buyers’ hands
If you’re like me, before I buy that new car I want to test drive it. Not just watch the salesperson drive it through the parking lot or see a video of it tearing up the highway… I want to get behind the wheel myself and see what it can do. Often times in sales we talk a big game about our products and leave it up to our prospect or client to “trust us” on how effective it is or how much it can improve productivity for them.
For all those salespeople in the software industry, we know how difficult it is for our prospects to “test drive” our services because our technology solutions are usually virtual. That’s why we know that there’s no better way to conduct a B2B sales presentation or demo than to use a form of web conferencing or online remote collaboration tool.
Using virtual meetings to conduct your B2B demos will boost productivity, but there’s still no guarantee that it will increase sales effectiveness unless you keep a few key points in mind while running your presentations or demos:
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Know your audience.
Do your homework. Make sure you research the company’s website and know what they do. Study your slides ahead of time. Anticipate their questions. Know how to answer them. If you are unprepared, they will know it right away and you will lose all credibility.
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Use webcams to create more of a face-to-face setting.
Webcams are built into new laptops and tablets and if not, pick one up for as little as $10. Find an awesome video conferencing provider or web conferencing solution that has video. Let your prospects see who you are.
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Show relevant information.
Ask the right questions before you start your’ demo. If your product can do 100 different things and your audience only needs it for five, make sure you know that before you start the demo and only show them those five key functions. If not, you’ll lose their attention very quickly!
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Are they following along?
Avoid long-winded rants without any back-and-forth dialog with the audience. A simple, “does that make sense?” during your presentation goes a long way. Try polling questions as well – it’s a common feature on most web conferencing platforms.
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Give them control.
Going back to my ‘test drive’ example, it is important that they “kick the tires.” It is very easy to pass control over to a participant while you’re showing them your software, this way you know they’re paying attention and that they can use the platform themselves.
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Who’s who?
With webcams or web conferences with audio integration, it is very easy to determine who just asked that great question when you have a large group on the call. This can help make your follow-up after the meeting more efficient by starting with the most engaged prospects first.
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Follow-up is key.
You’re sure you covered a lot and your audience probably retained all of it, right? Don’t kid yourself; they didn’t. Make sure you send your slides or documents after the sales demo to all your participants. Don’t send a novel, just the info that pertains to their needs and interests (refer to step #3)
Keep these steps in mind during your next B2B sales presentation and you’ll have your pick of any car on the lot once those commission checks start rolling in!
