How To Incorporate Technology Into Your Sales Routine: 5 Tips For Successful Hybrid Selling

When COVID-19 shut everything down, sales teams went straight to virtual selling and sales reps quickly jumped on the bandwagon,selling just as well digitally as they did in person. Some companies actually improved on their sales. These sales reps found out that if they wanted to sell like they did before the pandemic, they had to be even better than they were in person. Not only did they have to be more detailed, but they had to tell a better story, show a better dream and emotionally connect with their potential customers to secure the sale.

Now, things are beginning to return to a new normal and along with it, traditional sales have changed. Instead, hybrid selling is taking its place. Hybrid selling is a sales model that blends together the best of virtual and in-home selling in an effort to optimize the experience for not only the customer but the sales rep and company as well. Incorporating hybrid technology into your sales is the most important thing you’ll do post-COVID, but there are a few things you should take note of. Selling virtually is harder, so if you don’t have your sales methodology down, you won’t succeed. When your competitors are incorporating technology and you aren’t, you’re at a big disadvantage. The times are changing, and you need to change with them. We recently talked to Dominic Caminata at Grosso University about his success in hybrid selling in the remodeling space. If you’re not sure where to start, keep reading for his tips for successful hybrid selling.

1. Go paperless

Whether you’re selling virtually or in person, the one thing you have to do is go paperless. Forget the old-school three ring binders and endless stack of papers for the homeowner to go through. Your sales reps need to be selling on an iPad. There are many companies out there who are still embracing the old sales tactics,and while they may have worked in the past, they aren’t going to work today. Using technology allows your sales reps to be quicker, more efficient and present your company’s information in a professional manner.

2. Offer Virtual Consultations

People love convenience, and many people, especially after the pandemic, would prefer to have a virtual consultation than have someone come to their home. When you do offer virtual consultations, don’t put your least productive sales reps on the calls. If they don’t perform well at in-person selling, they’ll be even worse at virtual consultations. Use your best sales reps at virtual consultations to close more deals. Domic Caminata said that he’d closed 40% of his leads by just doing virtual consultations. If you aren’t already offering them, consider using technology to set up your virtual meetings. And keep in mind that if you’re going virtual, you have to put your best foot forward. Your virtual appointments should always be longer than in-person appointments because you’re making up for that physical barrier.

3. Emotionally Connect With Your Audience

Sales is all about connecting with the people you’re selling to. But, this is different when you’re using technology,so you have to use it to your advantage. Dominic brought up a great point about emotionally connecting with your audience. He used Disney and Pixar as an example. How many people tear up at Disney and Pixar movies but don’t cry when something emotional happens in their own life? A lot! This is because they know how to connect emotionally with you. They have the perfect music and the perfect images that causes a lot of us to choke up emotionally. It’s why we all love Pixar movies.

You have to do the same thing when selling to connect with your audience. You have to make them care about your company, which turns into them trusting you. Dominic recommends always having an intro video that you show for both in-person and virtual sales. A short intro video about your company with some of your best work will create trust with your potential customers and you have a great backstory about your company, use it. Storytelling is the number one way to emotionally connect with your audience.

4. Build Out Your Presentation

Thanks to virtual appointments, you’ll have a reliable internet connection. This is something that you aren’t always guaranteed to have when you’re selling in person. So, if you’re selling in a virtual environment with Ingage software, you can build out your presentation. Use this to your advantage. You can link to reviews, different portfolios you have, or even Angie’s List and the Better Business Bureau. These links will give your potential customers more trust in you and it can all happen within the software for a clean, professional sales presentation.

5. Don’t Email The Customer

When it comes to using technology with your customers, don’t go overboard. The one thing Dominic warns is to never email your customer unless it’s a thank you email or a signature request. Emailing your potential customer a quote may seem like the smartest idea, however, it’s one thing that Grosso University never does. Once you email your customer a price quote, you lose all your leverage. Instead, show them the quote during the virtual presentation using technology to screen share the quote. Then, you can offer a discount and get a commitment from them virtually.

Dos And Don’ts Of Hybrid Selling

• Do go paperless and use iPads and tablets for both types of appointments
• Do make your virtual appointments longer than your in person appointments
• Do show a video about your company with strong storytelling
• Do use outside resources, like company reviews, in your virtual presentations
• Do show your customer a price quote
• Don’t email your customer unless you need a signature
• Don’t use your least-productive sales reps in virtual consultations
• Don’t assume in-person appointments will be more successful than virtual

When it comes to selling both in-person and virtually, you should always incorporate technology. With the changing times, it’s important to have your company be at the forefront of the change. Using Ingage sales presentation software creates seamless, professional presentations that will help your sales reps be better prepared to close more deals. Click here to learn more about Ingage.