With the “Stay at Home” mandates, more people are using virtual communication tools to stay in contact with their clients. This week my good friend and sales expert Rob Jolles published a blog post on being there virtually https://www.jolles.com/blarticle/being-there-virtually/. Rob gave great tips on the Three P’s of virtual communication: Preparation, Positioning, and Performance.
In this post, I will build on Rob’s hints and tips, and if you want to go further, we drastically cut the price on our course to help those battling to keep their customer relationships during these difficult times.
Communication Choices
There are a variety of ways to communicate virtually with your clients: virtual meetings, videos, podcasts, email, and eBooks. I’ll focus on the meetings, videos, and podcasts. My business partner John Switzer and I have been doing them for over 20 years. Yes, we worked at Xerox and did PlaceWare and Live Meeting beginning in the spring of 1997. So, we have learned a lot over the years and want to share it with you.
Preparation
As my manager George Simmons said,” Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail.” So, take Rob’s advice and get set up for your call. You must first determine your objective and the best means of communication, given the circumstances. Whether you decide to have a live meeting, a video, or a podcast, you will need to set the objective and the key points you want to make. It is also essential to assign a time allocation to each topic or section. In the case of a video, you will need a storyboard. For a video or a podcast, you will need to draft a script.
Without the right equipment, you will not be able to have a high-quality communication. For a live meeting, Rob noted that you need your PC with good communication. It would be best if you also had a headset or good microphone and some clamp lights. All items are available online at very reasonable prices.
For a podcast, a good microphone is essential. You will also need an account at Podomatic or another hosting software site so your client can access it with the link you provide. If you are creating a video, you need a tripod with lighting. You don’t need expensive equipment. You can use your iPhone, and tripod with lighting is available for around $50 -$60. In the case of video, you will need editing software.
Scheduling and Inviting Clients and Prospects
To be successful, you need to give your client advance notice and provide the communication details. Virtual meeting software provides invitations that you can cut and paste into your email message or newsletter. For podcasts or videos, you can give the link to the host site. Be sure that you give thought to the invitation. You want to capture the interest of the client and persuade them to join your call, view your video, or listen to your podcast.
Presence
Rob gave some great tips on performance. As he said, listen, be engaged, and don’t multitask. I also suggest you read the book Presence by Amy Cuddy. She provides in-depth information on presence and powerfully engaging your clients. Amazon can ship it quickly, and it is worth your time to read it.
If you follow this advice, you will come out of this situation stronger and with new skills. Stay safe!
We Can Be Your Guide And Mentor
We are there with you in this tough time. To help you succeed, we drastically reduced the cost of our course on Capturing and Sharing Your Story in Media to just $99 and we made the course on Why Storytelling is Critical to Your Success 100% free. Visit our website @ www.salestraining solutions.com. Look under courses for your selection. There are also resources available under freebies. You can also join our bi-monthly newsletter to get our Free eBook on Storytelling: The Secret to Sales Success. We’ve filled our site with tools, tips, and resources to help you achieve success. We are also available by email or phone.