Do you have a virtual selling bias?

Are you aware of the biases you hold in regards to selling virtually?

Photo by Ayo Ogunseinde on StockSnap

In 2020, as countries went into lockdown, our beliefs around certain topics were challenged.

For example, according to research done by Pew Research Center, before the coronavirus outbreak, only 20% of people worked from home. When the pandemic ends 54% of people would want to continue working from home as their work responsibilities can be done at home.

Many sales professionals are skeptical of the idea of selling virtually. Traditionally, sales has been a career based on meeting people in person, taking your prospects out for coffee, and closing deals through a handshake.

The downfall of a salesperson happens when they resist change and are not open to learning a new way of selling. Your customers and your prospects are evolving and are accepting new ways of purchasing as they want a solution that works best for them.

According to Mckinsey, 70% of B2B decision-makers buyers are open to making new, fully self-serve or remote purchases in excess of $50,000, and 27% would spend more than $500,000. This clearly shows that customers are buying online. If you are a salesperson who is biased towards virtual selling then you are missing out on customers who have already embraced this.

The difficulty with virtual selling is that it is a relatively new way of selling. Salespeople are not ready to take the time to learn how they can sell virtually so they stick to their preferred way of in-person selling which has worked. Companies on the other hand aren’t providing enough support and training on how to sell virtually.

So before you make your next cold call ask yourself:

1. What bias do I have towards selling virtually?

2. How does my bias affect my connection with my customers and prospects?

In the next installment, we will debunk some of the myths that surround virtual selling.