Jack Jubbard remote selling webinarI recently hosted a webinar with banking sales expert Jack Hubbard, chairman and chief experience officer at St. Meyer and Hubbard, to discuss how banks can succeed at remote selling amid the pandemic and beyond. Here are some of the key things Jack shared in the session.

          >> Related: Banking Sales Expert Shares Thoughts on Virtual Selling

Get more out of remote sales calls

While the numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are thankfully coming down as vaccination numbers go up, many people are still working remotely. This goes for both bankers and their business customers, and research suggests that many of these folks may never return to a full-time office setting. So, how can bankers adjust to this “next normal,” as Jack calls it?

Business banking customers and prospects do still want human interaction during the sales process, though it varies whether that contact will be in person, virtual, or a combination thereof (what Jack terms “blended environment conversations” or BECs).

But herein lies the problem: 70 percent of bank executives say they haven’t provided their teams with the tools (hardware, software, and/or training) they need to succeed in this environment.

Jack shared three key considerations that banks need to keep in mind as they adapt to the BEC world going forward.

  1. Technical considerations

  • Whether you are using Zoom, WebEx, Teams, or some other video conferencing system, the key is to make the technology yours. Customize your settings and use a branded background, for example.
  • It’s also important to adhere to your bank’s policies around virtual meetings, such as respecting a dress code, if applicable.
  • If your bank permits it, and the buyer consents, it is a good best practice to record all virtual meetings to keep a record of takeaways and use it as a follow-up with the customer or prospect.
  • Using the video conference’s white board or annotation settings is great for visual or experiential learners, but it takes practice to perfect this technical capability.
  • Ensure bankers have the technology they need — computer monitors, printers, ring lights, etc. — to be effective when working remotely.

  1. Conversation considerations

  • Customize your approach including a custom meeting invite, agenda, and follow-up that includes a value add (such as a timely news article from Vertical IQ) to grab the buyer’s attention.
  • Use the buyer’s webpage or LinkedIn profile as your initial screen when you start the virtual meeting, showing them you’ve taken the time to do your homework. It’s a great conversation starter.
  • Ask questions tailored to the buyer and their industry in order to guide the conversation and get better information out of the buyer. Vertical IQ can help with this too.
  • “Turkey feather” your notes, as Jack calls it, by adding color-coded sticky notes of reminders, questions, and topics you want to be sure to cover around the perimeter of your computer screen (don’t block the camera, though!). This allows you to keep your eyes on the screen, showing the buyer you’re engaged in the conversation, instead of constantly looking down at your notes.
  • At the end of your virtual conversation, don’t forget to leave the buyer with something of value. For example, show an industry-focused article from Vertical IQ on your screen and note something you found interesting about it. Then offer to send the link to them as a follow-up.
  • If you have a business partner on the call, be sure they also know how to use the technology and what you’ll be asking them to discuss so you’re literally and figuratively on the same page to have a professional presentation.

  1. Leadership considerations

  • Leaders need to have empathy and patience as people begin to head back to the office and adapt to this “next normal.”
  • They need to be holding meetings that incorporate coaching, including listening in on joint calls (or reviewing the recording or recap notes from the banker) in order to offer constructive feedback.

Other remote selling best practices

Jack shared a few other best practice ways to successfully sell remotely in 2021. One idea is a concept called “TeamBoarding” (since it is a whole-team effort) where bank relationship team members reach out to new business banking customers at certain milestones throughout the first year of the relationship.

Another idea Jack shared is an approach called “3 before 8” in which the relationship manager finds a pertinent news article using Vertical IQ, RelPro, LinkedIn, etc., and emails it — along with a personal note — to three prospects, customers, and/or centers of influence each morning before 8 a.m.

Taking these steps, bankers can elevate themselves in 2021 from relationship managers to “resource managers” — a value-added resource for their customers and prospects.

We can help!

Vertical IQ can provide bankers (or other sales professionals) with the tools they need to sell in this remote environment and create the personalized experience their business customers crave. We offer actionable content covering more than 90 percent of businesses comprising the U.S. economy, as well as economic/industry reports for hundreds of cities and thousands of counties across the U.S.

By incorporating this type of tailored content into your prospect/customer communications, presentations, and conversations, you will not only provide the insights they desire, you will differentiate yourself from all the competitors who are only sharing generic information.

To learn more about Vertical IQ or to request a demo, visit https://verticaliq.com/demo/.

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