Sales in a Hybrid World – The New Playbook for Success
Pre-Covid sales presentations were filled with small talk and moments for connection. We could read body language closely - notice eye contact, fidgeting, subtle glances to other people in the meeting room.
There were platters of bagels or breakfast pastries, pushed earnestly across the conference room table. Live software demos where you could be sure each participant was glued to the screen before them. We saw each other – we felt what it was like to be in the same room, to shake hands and exchange niceties.
Today? We're in a full-on hybrid world. Many of us are still logging into video meetings with sweatpants on the bottom and something a little more professional on top. A growing number of us are back at the office, wearing real pants, and meeting in actual conference rooms decorated with bottles hand sanitizer. Those of us in the office are still sorting out the new "handshake" (is it a fist bump?) and we're a little rusty on the small talk - especially when we're trying to account for a mix of virtual and in-person attendees. To avoid anyone feeling left out or contributing to video fatigue, we pretty much get straight to business. Thirty minutes, times up, and on to the next agenda item.
And while the “traditional” fully in-person sales approach is having a mini comeback (we are so eager to get together!), it’s clear: the hybrid model is NOT going away.
It has me wondering, what are the new rules of sales engagement in this hybrid era?
Cutting through the noise to build meaningful connection
Communication matters in sales – a LOT. Relationships, rapport, connection, warmth. These elements are breadcrumbs for what we hope to be long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships. Good interactions build tokens of trust that, over time, can pay off big time.
Modern interactions are all about the channel and the timing. Outreach coming through at the wrong time, or through the wrong channel, where the tone is misread or the intention misinterpreted can quickly sink a budding relationship. Why? No one has time for it. Our moments are precious. We live in go-go-go world and when the connection is done poorly, our attention is fleeting. We’re on to the next.
What DO we make time for? Things that make us happy! We make time for people and things we enjoy. Why? Because we’re human – we want to enjoy ourselves, whether it’s a funny text meme or sarcastic slack rant. We gravitate to the things that bring us pleasure, joy, peace. The things that make us laugh or even just smile for a moment.
Be human. Be likable.
Just like humans fall in love with leaders and not logos, they want to buy from other people and not robots. You’ve got to be likable. Salespeople have got to find a way to be approachable and affable in interactions where there are no pastries, golf games, or intriguing schwag bags.
Pro tips for likable, human behavior:
Send a relatable, human text – typos included. It goes a long way to forming the threads of a human connection, more so than any canned email.
Engage in social media. When clients follow me on Instagram and heart my vacation pictures, or comment on how big my kids have grown – it’s not annoying. It’s heartwarming.
Send a quick video message in an email. This always catches my attention. It’s different, it’s thoughtful. It feels made for me.
Send a quick voice text. When a client sends a quick voice text while they’re out and about, it leaves me feeling like I’m in the same room with them, having a conversation and brainstorming across a big whiteboard.
Likable is human, it’s funny, it’s real. Not overly scripted, not overly polished. It’s an instant spark of a communication that you want to receive or share with someone you appreciate and trust and enjoy. Now, is every client relationship ready for a cat meme text? Maybe not. Building rapport and connection takes time, every interaction building on the next.
Hybrid sales calls for a special blend: texting, video calls, an in-person gathering, regular voice call follow ups. With all channels, have the courage to be real (yes, your kid may be crying in the background), to be vulnerable (admit if you’re having an off day, or if you’re feeling sick, etc.), and to get creative (send a video message follow up versus a novel-length email, try voice texting, lighten up and send the meme if the moment calls for it).
Read the (digital) room
Reading the room took a twist when it went digital. Your typical visual clues, the ones you relied on to gauge if you were making a connection, have disappeared. How do you know if you’re making progress in a sale? What’s your sign that a prospect is getting distracted?
Good signs may include easy banter, follow-through, commitment to spending time with you and meeting – and then actually making it happen. When there’s an ease to conversations, you’re on the right track. Negative signs include going dark. Ghosting you. Being unresponsive even when you try a variety of channels. You may notice a very transactional feeling to your interactions (cut the BS, let’s get down to the agenda).
Sales follow-up in a modern world means reading the signs and reading in between the lines. And sometimes, smart sales professionals may need to call things as they are – “I’m sensing this doesn’t feel as exciting to you.”
Whether in-person, digital, or hybrid, humility and honesty will always reign. These are the qualities that will bring your prospects back to you, perhaps even years from now, even if they don’t choose you now.
Because if there’s one thing Covid didn’t change, it’s that people want to interact with and buy from real people. People they like.