Businesses and companies are now embracing the new normal known as ‘working from home’ aka WFH. However, employees are often left in the dark to fend for themselves and learn new software on their own.
Odds are, you don’t know.
The first rule of marketing, or any relationship building in general, is to make it personal. Don’t use the impossible link to share while chatting over a subpar cell phone signal, or the nine digit code you’ll need to repeat 3-5 times … create a custom link.
Do you use Google or LinkedIn prior to your meetings?
Businesses are built upon trust, however it’s important to get them to “know” and “like” you first. Maintain consistent communication leading up to your call, by confirming a day in advance. This saves you time from potential ‘no shows’ and showcases your reliability.
Find a common interest to establish a connection immediately. With social media, Google alerts and LinkedIn pages readily available, you have no excuse to NOT find a common bond prior to a call.
We suggest searching your shared network on LinkedIn, as well as checking for common causes over career interests, by working from the bottom up on their profile. Don’t forget to keep your LinkedIn page updated too.
What’s the wifi password?
This is one question you want to be avoiding minutes before your call.
If you are WFH, be sure to test your signal prior to the kickoff time. We strongly suggest hardwiring your computer for all video conferencing calls to maintain a strong digital connection.
Do a quick run through before the meeting to ensure your audio and video is functioning properly. Should you even think you might share your screen, shut down any unnecessary programs on your computer that might be visible.
Always put your attention on your audience to make them your top priority. Keep your phone on silent nearby, just in case you need to text a colleague or be reached in an emergency.
Yes. In more ways than one.
Wear your favorite shirt or outfit that makes you feel good, and you’ll be beaming during your entire meeting. And while you’re at it, put on a smile. We suggest smiling at least 30X during a 30 minute meeting, but who’s counting?!
Don’t forget your background too. There’s a term called ‘peacocking’ in the dating world that suggests wearing something outrageous to help kickstart a conversation. Try placing personal items behind you to break the ice. This creates excitement within you, as well as an opportunity to use storytelling, instead of sales techniques, to build trust immediately.
For example: A hand drawn picture from your child or a favorite “Star Wars” poster to geek out on always works.
We know it’s tempting, but to remain professional, we recommend staying away from the virtual green screen backdrops in Zoom. For now anyway, maybe after the second or third call. 😉
“When you’re early you are on time, when you’re on time you are late, and when you’re late, you are forgotten.”
Have you ever shown up to a meeting late? Or watched a co-worker start a kickoff call to disgruntled guests?
Yeah, it’s embarrassing. Don’t do it.
When you show up early, you set a precedent. You commit to your success and don’t abuse the other attendees’ time. You control the meeting and its outcome. Always clarify the time zone when booking too.
And if for any reason you are late, clear the air and move on immediately. Don’t sit there apologizing and groveling, or you’ve lost that potential business opportunity already.
Video calls are like dating, and if things go as planned, you’ll meet another day.
Allow yourself 30 minutes to get to know them and build a relationship. Use the remaining 10 minutes (on your Free Zoom account) to overcome objections and answer questions. Wrap up the call with a quick overview of the problem and your unique solution by asking, “Would it be okay if we review next steps?”
Once they answer, “Yes”, move forward with booking the next call, and sharing the key deliverables you established during the call.
Lastly, send out your pre-prepared thank you email with details on your next Zoom call. Repeat as needed.
Congratulations, you’re now on your way to driving clients, “From Looking to Booking!”
