7 Top Tips to Remember for a Knockout Virtual B2B Sales Pitch

Sales is a primarily customer-facing business function, where meeting a prospect for a sales pitch is paramount. Personal selling is the key to a successful marketing strategy while emails, phone calls, and digital marketing are just a support system. Meeting a client in a virtual setting has some limitations, but there are ways you can be just as effective as you are in person. ‍

70-80 percent of B2B decision-makers say they prefer remote human interactions to in-person meetings. For remote workers, visibility at work is always a concern. With the convenience of video conferencing and virtual meetings, not only do remote workers find their visibility increasing, they also help with the added benefit of saving on the cost of travel. Not to mention the ease of scheduling online meetings.

Sales in the B2B model are a bit more complicated and the virtual environment doesn’t make it any easier. As you continue to conduct your sales pitch meetings online to meet your business goals, a few tips and tricks can help you conduct the perfect virtual pitch meeting. Learn how to lead successful sales meetings online with vision and purpose with the seven tips below:

1. Have a brilliant presentation ready

You might have a sales routine that has done well for you in the past, but without face-to-face interactions, it can be challenging for your prospect to keep track of your pitch. A killer sales presentation can help you engage your prospective customer and reel them in slowly but surely.

Have a 10-20 slide presentation deck ready that gives an overview of your organization, your value proposition, and then what products or services you offer. Your presentation could also include postpurchase expectations and customer reviews and testimonials. Make sure your presentation allows for questions at the end. Your presentation should also include a proper call to action on how to proceed if they are interested.

Here are some ideas to make your presentation perfect when you are virtually pitching:

• Add pictures and infographics. Text alone is boring.
• Keep it short.
• Customize presentations as per your audience.
• Try not to read from the slides. Those are for reference. Your spoken words should have more detail.
• Include your website and virtual mobile number for prospects to contact if they are interested.

2. Prepare and then prepare some more

Preparation is of the utmost importance for each presentation. Preparation for your virtual sales pitch should start with researching your prospective client. Use the information you learn to structure your pitch. You should be able to change your pitch as per the needs of your clients.

Practice your presentation well ahead of the meeting. You need to sound confident and knowledgeable. Know your product front and back, because only if you sound like an authority on your product will you be able to sell it.

Your tone of voice is important in a virtual meeting, perhaps more so than a face-to-face one. When your prospects can’t read all of your body language and voice, how you deliver your pitch suddenly becomes the most important factor. Practice the speed at which you talk, and the ideal volume at which you deliver the presentation. Talking fast or too loudly can be a huge turn off.

3. Set expectations

Sales in a virtual setting is a challenge for both parties. Even with up-to-date cloud phones and virtual receptionists to smooth over the scheduling, you’re still asking your prospects to take valuable time from their day to meet with you. You have to make it worth their while. For that, expectation setting and clear communication are vital.

Create an agenda for your presentation and share it with the prospects a few days before the meeting. Stick to the agenda as a show of respect for your prospect’s time. If you are going above the set time limit, propose to send further information after via email.

4. Use top-grade video conferencing software

Many businesses have invested in an enterprise hosted VoIP system with video calling capabilities. However, it’s not enough to have it available - you need to make sure your prospects (and you!) can use it. 

Make sure you familiarize yourself with the video conferencing platform of your choice. We don’t want you figuring out how to share your presentation during the actual meeting. Test it out thoroughly with your camera, microphone, and internet connection. In addition, make sure you have a strong, reliable broadband connection for video conferencing.

Inform your prospects beforehand about your chosen conference call software, and ensure they can access it. Ideally, they shouldn’t have to download anything new, and it should be as easy as clicking on a link you’ve sent in advance.

5. Break the ice

Professional meetings can be boring, and then you have virtual meetings that can be worse because of the innate nature of the virtual world. Body language is limited, you miss cues, and the internet creates a lag. You have to get potential clients to commit for at least 30 minutes and that isn’t always easy.

There are a number of ways to keep your clients engaged in an online meeting and create a personalized experience: 

• Tell a lighthearted joke or a personal anecdote.
• Talk about sports or current events.
• Build rapport as you start the meeting. Don’t jump straight into the presentation.
• Leave a few minutes on the agenda for small talk.
• Give some praise or congratulations.

6. Ask questions to increase engagement

A sales pitch where the presenter keeps on rambling will make the prospect lose interest fast. A presentation that allows for interactions and questions at the end is the best kind. Give your prospects plenty of opportunities to talk.

The virtual sales pitch needs to be a two-way street, where the potential client gets to give their two cents, too. The best way to get the prospect to contribute to the conversation is to ask insightful questions.

For example, if you sell domains, you could ask your prospects if they already own a “.COM domain”. This gives them an opportunity to talk and gives you some insight into how much money they are willing to spend and perhaps save with you.

Create a conversation to know about the strengths and challenges of your prospects and understand what you are up against. When your audience is given time to speak, they feel valued, creating a positive environment in which they will be more willing to learn about your product and hopefully buy it.   

7. Create value

Your presentation and your pitch need to focus on the value the customer will receive if they purchase your product or service. What pain points of the customer does your product cater to? Your presentation should tell them how their business would improve and grow as a result of your products or services.

Customer testimonials are the best form of social proof. Do include them so you can show prospects evidence that your products or services are worth their time and money. Create a picture of how you can help solve a critical problem and then sell them that vision to make it their new reality. You must be able to show a sizable ROI.

Follow up for success

By following the advice above, you’re bound to leave your prospects in awe of your brand. Don’t, however, leave them hanging. Give a clear call to action and tell them how to proceed in case they are interested. If they choose to work with you, inform them how that project would pan out and what the project timeline would be. Send an email to follow up on the presentation and be persistent while being professional. You can also work with the professional staff at Smith.ai to outsource your sales outreach to have leads called and followed up faster.

For B2B businesses that rely on a sales force that travels for sales pitches, it’s hard to limit yourself to the virtual world. Well-developed inbound marketing—supported by digital and social media—can help develop a customer engagement strategy to delight and attract customers for B2C brands. For B2B brands that do not focus on non-personal vehicles for marketing, remote B2B sales is a skill that develops with practice and it needs consistency. 

While you’ll find it challenging in the beginning, slowly you will gain prowess and you’ll be closing more deals than you ever did. Since you aren’t traveling to meetings and saving on travel costs, your sales are even more profitable. 

The time and money saved can be spent on prospecting tools like phone receptionists and live chat from Smith.ai on your website. All in all, virtual sales is a win-win situation. So go out there and wow your prospects online today!