Successful virtual B2B selling requires the seller to lead with even more effective communication, a deeper understanding of the cognitive processes involved in decision-making, and the application of knowledge about human psychology and biology. While your buyers may require even more bespoke strategies and techniques in their interactions with your sellers, below are several key principles and strategies rooted in applied neuroscience and psychology that can enhance your probability of furthering the relationship toward desired outcomes:
The brain is constantly assessing risk and reward. Even though your buyer has agreed to meet (albeit virtually), they continue to assess whether engaging with you presents a risk or an opportunity for reward. It's essential to recognize that this evaluation is not personal; it's a deeply ingrained survival mechanism from our ancestors. They instinctively identified individuals from different groups as potential threats to their safety. As sellers, our task is to diligently work to align ourselves with the buyer cognitively and emotionally, highlighting shared commonalities to reduce their perception of us as a risk or threat. In the virtual environment, where face-to-face interaction is limited, this effort becomes doubly critical and requires swift yet strategic action to establish these shared bonds.
The brain thrives on simplicity and certainty. An alarming trend I've observed as virtual selling has gained prominence is sellers overwhelming prospects with information out of fear that time constraints in virtual meetings will hinder their ability to convey key points effectively. With shorter meeting durations, the pressure to deliver a compelling message within a tight timeframe intensifies. Rather than trying to fill the entire 30 minutes, shift your perspective and approach. Focus your meeting plan and agenda on conveying the 1-2 critical elements necessary to lay the foundation for a mutual decision. Ensure that the prospect can easily comprehend and digest these 1-2 key points.
The brain likes open-ended questions (most of the time). Open-ended questions are particularly valuable in scenarios where you want to encourage discussion, gather detailed information, invite collaboration, and build relationships. Additionally, the strategic use of open-ended questions in virtual selling aligns with humans' needs for engagement, memory, motivation, empathy, curiosity, and social bonding. Rather than winging it and seeing how it will go, having a pre-planned list of high-yield open-ended questions for your virtual sales interactions will help you succeed better, more, and faster.
In virtual selling, where lack of physical proximity can create barriers to effective communication and relationship-building, mastering the aforementioned brain "hacks" can be a powerful tool for bridging the gap. They encourage meaningful conversations, enable you to better understand the prospect's needs, and position you as a valuable partner in their decision-making process.
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