One of the biggest challenges with being a successful remote seller is overcoming some of the insecurities you can feel when having your video on. Today we're talking about how to overcome those insecurities so you can be as successful as possible at remote selling.
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THE H.A.L.T. METHOD
The first principle to feeling secure on camera is very basic and actually has to do with a lot more than just being on camera. It’s how you should be thinking about yourself any time you're feeling off. There's a method called the H.A.L.T., and if you're feeling off or you're feeling insecure, you want to ask yourself;
H - Do I feel hungry?
A - Do I feel angry?
L - Do I feel lonely?
T - Do I feel tired?
If any of those things are true, it's more likely that you're going to feel insecure, especially on camera. So, make sure that you're not hungry, you're not angry, you're not lonely, and you're not tired. Take breaks if you need to, and make sure that you're feeling at the top of your game in order to not feel insecure when you're on camera.
PEOPLE ARE GRATEFUL TO SEE YOU
The next thing you need to know is that people are genuinely grateful to see you. A lot of times it's kind of like being on a blind date when you're on a call with someone. When you turn the camera on, they see that you're a real person and they feel a lot more comfortable.
When we see somebody on camera for the first time, we feel so much more confident talking to them. We get to analyze who they are based on our first impression so we feel like we know who we’re dealing with. It makes us trust them more and feel safer being on a call with them.
Other people feel the same way with you. When your camera's on, they suddenly feel far safer and they know who they're dealing with. They know a little bit more about what to expect and how to calibrate appropriately to who you are.
OTHER PEOPLE ARE FEELING INSECURE AS WELL
The next thing to be aware of is that other people are feeling insecure as well, and you're not the only one that's feeling nervous. Other people feel that way and they're overcoming it, and if they're on camera and you're not, now you're the one that seems weird.
Just know that going into a call, everyone's feeling slightly off. It's weird to be on camera sometimes, but know that they're happy to see you and they're feeling a little bit strange too.
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PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT YOU LESS THAN YOU THINK
We often think when we're on video that people are just staring at us. There's something about the camera that feels like it’s this all-seeing, all-consuming eye that sees every single flaw in who we are.
However, when you're on video with other people in the meeting, they're not looking at you 60% to 80% of the time. Instead, they’re looking at themselves, they're looking at other people, or they're looking at their phone. They're not spending as much time looking at you as you think they are, especially when you're giving a presentation.
When they're sitting there looking at you, they're often thinking about themselves, they're looking at themselves, or they're thinking about what you're saying. They're not paying attention to every possible mistake or insecurity that you have. Just know that they're not looking at you closely at all, they're just relaxing and happy to see you in person.
TREAT PEOPLE LIKE A FRIEND
Next, you want to try to treat people as friends when you're on camera. Oftentimes in business, we get kind of businessy and have our business voice on. Make sure you don't have your business persona on when you're doing a remote selling meeting. Make sure that you're acting more like you would with a friend or family member on camera.
There's an interesting thing that happens in the brain when you start joking or relaxing with other people. You start to fall in more of a friendly category in that person's brain. Their brain is trying to categorize you and if you show up too serious and too businessy, their brain's going to categorize you as a businessperson. So, they put on their business mask and now you're going to have a transactional relationship.
But if you start to just kind of hang out, relax, and show up more like maybe their friend or family member would show up, their brain is going to put you in the friend category. A friend who happens to also be in business. So, make sure that you're treating them and acting just like you would if you were hanging out with a friend.
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DON'T WORRY ABOUT BEING PERFECT
If you have a bad hair day or if you look a little extra tired, you don't have to feel insecure about it. Anything that is a little off just shows that you're human. One of the things that we’re often afraid of is showing imperfections or vulnerabilities because we think that it's going to push people away. However, when you are too perfect people are more uncomfortable around you and they trust you less.
As soon as somebody sees some vulnerability or some imperfection, they think; "Oh, that person's a person, they're just like me, they're human. Oh my gosh, I don't have to be perfect. I can relax now and we can hang out and we can have a successful discussion." So, if you make a little mistake or if you're stuttering or if you look a little off, don't worry about it. You're just looking like a human being which you are, and human beings are going to be successful in sales.
DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR MISTAKES
Lastly, if something goes wrong on the call, you can acknowledge it, but don't apologize for it. This is nuanced because people don't like to be apologized to. If something goes wrong technically, you don't want to be like, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I keep screwing this up," because that becomes about you. You've put them in a position where they need to rescue you, and nobody wants to do that.
So, if you make a mistake and your slides are wrong or you share the wrong screen, don’t get flustered, don't apologize. Just relax, say, "One moment. Let me get the right screen up."
Just remember that when you're on camera and you're remote selling and you're feeling insecure, other people are feeling the same way. They're excited and they're grateful to see you. Make sure that you just treat them as a friend. Don't worry about looking or being or sounding perfect. If you make a mistake, just acknowledge that, "Hey, that's a little thing. Let me fix that real quick." And then just relax and have fun and enjoy yourself and enjoy the human connection that's available to you through remote selling.