Info Center

By Lois Kaufman

Video conferencing services such as GoToMeeting, Zoom, Teams and Webex have been a lifesaver for business-to-business marketers struggling to generate sales during the COVID pandemic; and, they’re here to stay even if COVID isn’t.

But too many sales presentations are simply variations of the standard PowerPoint, which already bore many of us even when given in person. Just showing slides on a screen, which some presentations are, will probably put us to sleep.

Making effective sales presentations means rethinking what we do to make them more powerful, compelling and effective.

Creating customer engagement

Successful B2B sales requires more than just a good product. It requires convincing buyers you can meet their needs better than competitors, and this requires building trust. Multiple studies prove that personal emotions, such as security and pride, are the primary motivator in more than 60 percent of purchase decisions, and the top emotional motivator is trust.

But video is a “cold medium;” it’s tough to build engagement through a screen, and almost impossible to build trust. This takes new skills, new tools and a significantly different approach to what we’ve doing for years.

Fortunately, we have new tools that put buyers inside your presentation, and let them see for themselves they can trust your products, and they can trust you.

Delighting customers, building trust

Augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) are game changers. We’re using them to create experiences reaching buyers on a far more entertaining, personalized and emotional level.

Augmented reality changes the way customers see their world, altering their real environment and creating 3D action so live buyers think they can touch your products. A recent research report found AR also has the potential to reduce B2B sales cycles by up to 50 percent.

• Buyers can see your products in 3D on any surface and interact with it.
• Customers can point and click to see how a product, medical device, printing equipment copiers, furniture, almost anything, fit into a specific space.

Virtual reality actually transports buyers to an alternate world where they interact in an artificial 3D environment. VR immerses them in a 360-degree alternate reality.

• Auto dealers tell you nothing generates sales like getting customers to take a test drive. VR allows B2B customers to virtually use many products before they buy.
• Companies can train employees and customers from thousands of miles away, saving them time and money; another great incentive.
• Another example, physicians trying new devices can perform complex procedures on virtual patients before moving on to real ones.

Create a presence

PowerPoints on a screen with salesperson doing a voiceover does nothing to build trust. No matter how effective the technology, buyers still want to relate to a real person.

The next-best thing to being there in-person is sharing the screen with your sales presentation, which many video presentations allow you to do.

Buyers can see the person behind the presentation, your body language and enthusiasm. You can reinforce key points, make eye contact and create engagement.

Video can focus on most important points

It’s a sad fact that many marketers waste the most important part of their presentations, the first 15-minutes, showing information prospects really don’t care about. Too many presentations start with:

• Setting the stage by talking about the company’s strategic situation, its products and competitors, opportunities, etc. You lose some audience right from the start, presenting information they already know, and better than you.
• Promoting the seller’s company, history, leadership, products, services, testimonial, etc.

The bottom line: nobody cares! The only thing buyers care about is, “what you can do for me.” Instead, send this background information in a short pre-meeting video so you can concentrate during your presentation on engaging with your audience.

Rethink your follow-up

It has become a common practice to send the PowerPoint slides used in presentations as a follow up.

This dehumanizes your presentation. Buyers may remember the slides, but not the engagement you created during your presentation.

Also, many companies are involving more employees in buying decisions. Just sending your slides, no matter how good the presentation, does little to reach decision makers not able to attend your presentation.

• Many video systems allow you to record your presentation as it occurs. Send it as your follow-up, which also makes it easy for your prospect to share with others.
• Send a video “thank you” emphasizing the three or four most important key points, but limit it to about 60 seconds.
• If you built augmented reality into your presentation, pieces of it also makes for a great follow-up.

You don’t have to spend a fortune

Say video, and most people think “big dollars.” That need not be the case.

Since the COVID pandemic started buyers have become more interested in information than production values. A crisp, concise video recorded on a mobile phone is often a more effective follow up than 100 PowerPoints.

For more information contact Lois Kaufman at 609-933-7382 or lkaufman@smartworksco.com.