Technology is bringing us ever closer to never having to leave our offices, or for that matter our homes. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is yet to be seen. However, as long as it continues to be a driving force behind successful sales tactics and cost saving strategies, you best know what you’re doing when it comes to online sales meetings. Here are six steps towards a successful online sales meeting:
1. Send Advance Notice: Letting people know what you plan to cover via email is a good start. People will know what to expect and may even also request additions to the agenda to better meet their needs.
2. Limit Participants: Don’t go overboard on the amount of people invited. This can be chaotic if there are more than eight to ten people especially if many of them have something to say.
3. Prepare Materials: Put together a good package and send it in advance of the meeting. Ask people to confirm they receive the materials and confirm they can open it if it is via electronics.
4. Be Quick: It is easy to lose an audience during online sales meetings where people might be tempted to start making faces at you when they think you can’t see them. Don’t give them an excuse to fade out on you. Spare them the blah blah blah and be quick with a goal of about 45 minutes ideally.
5. Pre-Check Technology: See if there is someone you can speak to at the office of each participant to ensure all the technology lines up and you won’t be faced with technical difficulties at the time the meeting is about to start. Even if it’s not a fault at your end, as the person running the meeting people will assume it was.
6. Double Check Technology: When the meeting resumes double check that everyone can hear and see each other. It’s easy to lose people who are not following along the same way as everyone else.
Being prepared for your online sales meeting will make you look professional and allow participants to get the information they need more effectively.
Doug Dvorak is a sales specialist, humorist and motivational speaker providing services for corporate events and conferences. For more information about Doug visit website.
