Selling in a 2D x 2S World
In many ways, the COVID Pandemic seems like a fading memory and, today, we seem to be operating in a ‘business as usual’ fashion more often than not. That said, think specifically about how behaviors have had to change in Sales because we operate in what I call a 2D by 2S world. Even post-COVID, most selling right now is happening on platforms like Zoom and Teams that, while incredibly powerful and advanced in their own right, strip the world down from three to just two dimensions (2D) and from five senses to two (sight and hearing – 2S). There are plenty of articles, YouTubes and training webinars floating around on how to sell in this 2D x 2S virtual environment, but most focus on the mechanical aspects – how to use the tools to their fullest, do good presentations online, etc. A partner asked me a great question recently that goes way past the mechanics and into the essence of selling: how do you develop relationships with prospects when you can’t see them and all of their body language live and in person, bond over meals or really get to know a person during while entertaining them at a game or other non-business activity?
Developing a relationship requires establishing some sort of emotional connection. Since people act on emotion and justify with logic, selling effectiveness requires keying in on a buyer’s emotional state. Giving a better presentation on Zoom is necessary but in no way sufficient to hitting those emotional chords. In fact, as soon as you share your screen on Zoom and put up a Powerpoint, the already confined 2D x 2S world gets restricted even more as your slides take up most or all of the screen’s real estate, making it even more difficult to read reactions and understand the buyer. Recently, Behavioral Science has provided case after case that demonstrate how dominant emotions and emotional states are to decisions, including buying. What can you do to key into a buyer’s emotional state in a 2D x 2S world, where better mechanics are not enough?
I’ve already tipped my hand to one recommendation: lighten up on the mechanics! Keep presentations (Powerpoints) short and sweet, if needed at all. And, vary the approaches used in live presentations vs. online, where you can’t afford to put up a slide and talk to it for long periods of time. 60 seconds is about the maximum time you can keep attention on a single slide during an online presentation. So, simplify the content, too, by boiling it down to key points. I am a big advocate for the “Rule of Threes”, meaning a maximum of three points or ideas per slide.
This is still focusing on mechanics not emotions. There are two sales techniques that are time-tested, fully vetted and that are ideal for digging into the emotional aspect of relationship building and selling: Questions and Storytelling. These techniques could or should be part of every salespersons’ repertoire already, but I believe they are even more critical now in 2D x 2S selling than in a conventional face-to-face meeting.
Questions are critical to dig for ‘pain’ - to collect the logical facts and information needed to identify the problem, opportunity, want, or need. We should dig for emotional state ask questions such as: “What is the (fill in the blank) creating for you right now?” or, “How does this impact (blank)?” Or, “How do you feel about _________ ?” A good question can both uncover a buyer’s emotional state and also potentially influence it.
Telling an effective story during a Zoom meeting can help make an emotional connection with a prospective buyer and even shape their emotional decision-making process to some extent. One expert on leadership and organizational effectiveness, Jay Conger, states that: “Numbers do not make an emotional impact, but stories and vivid language do”. This statement is backed up by the behavioral scientists and by our own personal experience. Since people naturally organize information into stories or narratives anyway, isn’t it better to tell them your story/your product story/your company story in an impactful way than to have them create a story from the logic or facts you present them? If you’re a prospective buyer, wouldn’t you rather hear a good story on a Zoom meeting than experience yet another variation on Death by Powerpoint?
COVID changed selling, and not just temporarily. Many organizations have found that remote or virtual selling can be highly productive. We all want to ‘get back to normal’, but for now and likely into the future, we need to adapt to this virtual, 2D x 2X world. My advice to sellers is to minimize the mechanics and the slideware while maximizing the emotional ‘selling’ through good questions and great storytelling.
