In 2020, the world experienced something that most of us never imagined – being stuck at home, not being able to roam around freely, the mind with a consistent doubt of “what if I get the infection?” and finally, “What will happen to my job?”. For those in sales, it was galore of virtual sales meetings!
The economies went down. Billions of lives were affected. However, there is a silver lining to this story of difficult times.
These times also paved way for us to explore new possibilities of effectively working together, while not being together in person!
Technology tools like zoom became mainstream. This means meeting virtual became a norm in personal as well as professional lives.
Most of us know how to present ourselves professionally in person. But many of us are clueless about what is being professional in a virtual meeting!
So let us start with the most fundamental question here …
What is “being professional”?
To answer that, we need to think about an even more fundamental question:
Which profession are we talking about here?
This is because, with each profession that we will consider, there will be different norms to be followed, for someone to be perceived as professional.
This leads to one more question..
What is “being professional” all about in all professions?
Our observations tell us the following:
1. It is about signaling others that you belong to the profession you are in.
2. It is about letting others know that you are good at what you do. You know your business.
3. It is about showcasing that you are doing what you do with fewer efforts, compared to the amateurs in your industry or field.
4. It is about showing that you are experienced enough to do what you do.
Now we are clear on ” what is being professional?“
So, let us explore the next important question …
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Why it is important to appear professional?
There are many reasons:
- Trust – We trust those who appear professional, a lot more than those who appear otherwise.
- Respect – It is far easier to gain the respect of others, in the professional world, if we look professional and are following the norms of the industry or field we are in.
- Conflict minimization – When there is trust and respect, the possibility of conflict goes down dramatically.
- Openness – The openness from the other party interacting with you, increases dramatically when they see that you know what you are doing!
- Minimal Friction – Last but not least is, being professional means following a structure or a framework. It ensures that for you as well as others, things are more predictable and hence there is minimal friction in whatever you are trying to get done.
When we can see so many advantages of appearing professional, it becomes imperative to understand the main question…
Why it is important to appear professional in a virtual sales meetings?
So to all of those who have done virtual meetings, one thing is crystal clear: they make our lives more hectic!
There are a ton of challenges in the world of virtual meetings that we never face in in-person meetings:
The stability of internet connection, knowledge of using tools like zoom, participants being on time, everyone paying full attention during the meeting, understanding the non-verbal communication of the other person, background noises, people not being dressed appropriately .. we can go on and on!
If we take the required measures, before such meetings, we can avoid many of these pitfalls or frictions. The measures can be around – communication skills, how we dress, our postures, our body language, the tools we use, the background behind us and the processes we set before/during/after the meetings to follow.
Whether we are in sales, marketing, operations, finance or any other field – these structures and processes are critical for smooth functioning.
However, especially in the field of sales, first impressions are the last impressions in most cases.
So it becomes especially important to have a clear framework around how we appear professional to our prospects or clients in virtual meetings.
A quick tip for your next important video call – an interview, pitch, or just a chat with your manager.“Get off your seat. Stand up. Put your laptop on a raised platform like some books or boxes, make sure you have plenty of light behind your laptop such as a window, and then rock and roll.
You’ll convey more energy, you’ll use your hands way more, you’ll be more animated, be more engaging, you’ll speak louder and more assertively, and you’ll just connect so much better.”
And I’d argue you show a little more effort and respect.
Listen, you should stand up even if the video is off and you’re on a regular call – your voice projects better when standing, you speak with greater force and authority. With the video on it’s insane not to be standing for those meetings that matter.
Do you have any such useful tips for our community? If so please share, and we will pass them on with due credits given to you!
