An Interview With Chad Silverstein
If you want to deliver an impactful pitch consider standing when online. Similar to an in person pitch, you’ll find you’ll use your body differently and you’ll appear far more expressive and engaging. This all translates into a far more believable pitch.
The global pandemic has forever altered the landscape of sales, propelling us into the era of remote selling. Today, businesses and sales professionals face the challenge of connecting with clients and closing deals without the traditional in-person interactions. Mastering the art of remote selling has become not just an advantage but a necessity. From leveraging technology and digital tools to building trust and rapport over virtual platforms, the skills required for effective remote selling are evolving. I had the pleasure of interviewing Andrew Tollinton.
Andrew Tollinton is cofounder of GetSIRV, a risk management technology business. He speaks on persuasion and selling at various business schools and accelerators, including Central St Martins, London Business School and University College London. He’s also Entrepreneur in Residence at London College of Fashion.
Thank you for joining us. To start, could you share your “origin story” with our readers? How did you begin your career? What challenges did you face in the early days? How did you overcome them?
In my early years my head was full of the big questions, I studied philosophy and political theory at university and I was very earnest; I was famous for asking 4am partygoers what’s your meaning for life? However, while important, these questions did little to prepare me for commerce: My first business was set-up at university, I sold halogen light bulbs at a car boot sale (why wouldn’t you?!). I bought 1,500 light bulbs from a wholesaler and sold direct to consumers at a great price. Unfortunately, this was my first lesson in business and sales: Price and product may be great but if your selling in the wrong place you’re doomed. I sold three light bulbs.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
When I was ten years of age I read A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford. This is a story of a woman wronged who goes on to build a retail empire. I loved the idea of building something from nothing, self-reliance and going big. I’ve always seen life as one shot and wanted the toughest challenge available.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
‘People align themselves with angels but forget they’re descended from apes.’ John Yorke, Into the Woods. Now, though not strictly true (we’re not descended from apes), the point is sound. We go through life trying to be flawless and forget we’re animals with all the base instincts that entails. As a result, we harshly judge ourselves and others based on how an angel would act and forget we remain driven by our animal instincts.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
My parents were both in the medical profession and therefore, I grew-up with a strong sense of civic duty. I was taught, regardless of profession, one should leave society better than it was found. As a result, I’ve always wanted my business to not only generate wealth but also contribute to society. My current business makes society a safer place.
Ok, let’s now turn to the central part of our interview. In your experience, how has the transition to remote selling altered the traditional sales cycle, and what strategies have proven most effective in closing deals virtually?
Remote selling is in some ways totally new and in some ways exactly the same. Let me explain. When I speak to business owners about remote and in person selling I ask them to think about the difference between a slack line and a tightrope. Both involve a person walking from one elevated position to another on a thin line, without aid. However, when someone slack lines they walk on a line which is only a few feet off the ground. Whereas, a tightrope walker attempts the same but at a great height. As a result, if you walk down the street and see someone on a slack line you may pause briefly to work out what they’re doing but then, you move on. However, if you see someone on a tightrope you’ll likely stop and marvel and, not move until the act is complete. At its core the challenge is the same but the jeopardy is very different: If a slack liner falls at worst they get embarrassed, but a tightrope walker dies.
Clients view remote selling as slack lining and easy, this is the primary obstacle we need to overcome in remote selling. There’s very little jeopardy, we have visual aids, notes to hand and it takes no effort at all to travel to our PC and turn it on. Therefore, our clients rarely give us their undivided attention. As a result, the first priority of a remote sale is to engage.
Engagement online is not easy but it is possible. Look to keep buyers engaged by not being predictable. One way to achieve this is through the use of mixed media. For example, transition quickly between audio, images and film. And, if at all possible, try to get buyer participation in your product or service.
In what ways do you believe technology will continue to shape the future of remote selling, and what tools should sales professionals be focusing on?
I currently invest a lot of time in tools like Loom. Because it gives the viewer an entertaining and novel experience.
However, going forward things like AI powered digital assistants will likely lead to more transactional sales. As a result, opportunities for remote sales will be fewer and the need to deliver results, greater.
How can sales teams maintain and build rapport with clients in a fully remote environment, especially when face-to-face interactions are limited?
To build rapport with clients consider a mix of in person and remote opportunities. For example, one can always send a thank you coffee token through the post or email. Also, being at physical events which clients attend will help build a closer bond.
Can you share a story of a challenge you faced in adapting to remote selling, and how you overcame it?
In common with many people, I was forced into remote sales through COVID-19 lockdowns. I recall I had a two hour pitch to a very famous financial services business. Unfortunately, I was new to remote sales and my camera had in view my kitchen as a backdrop. Mid way through my pitch my plumber arrived to work on my washing machine — which was in full shot of my camera. As a result, the pitch included sounds of hammers banging, 1,400 spin cycles and showed a man crawling around on his knees.
Suffice to say I didn’t win that pitch. However, I did recognise that we all have challenges in remote selling and it’s not the interruption that’s the issue, it’s how one deals with it. Therefore, if you lose power mid way through a pitch or have some disaster, ensure when you reconnect you don’t appear flustered. Clients understand life happens and measure you by how you respond to these challenges.
Can you share a success story of a remote sale that exemplified innovative tactics or approaches in the post-pandemic world?
In one remote sales pitch my client mentioned they were in their office in same city as me, London. The pitch lasted one hour, which I figured was long enough for me to get their office address and send one of my products from my home to their office. Before the pitch ended the client had in hand one of my products, they were delighted! And, I managed to multi-task!
Could you list and briefly explain “5 Key Strategies for Mastering the Art of Remote Selling” based on your experiences and insights?
1 . In remote selling, engagement is the greatest challenge. Take inspiration from directors of pop videos for, they are the masters of engagement. Count how long it takes before the camera changes angle or scene. Typically, this happens every 3 seconds. Today, we see the same kind of tactic used in TikTok videos. In remote selling we want to follow this philosophy to get engagement; move from media to media, quick and seamless.
2 . When we sell in person sometimes the client will want to visit to our site or office. In remote selling this opportunity has gone. Therefore, we should recognise what the client sees in the pitch has an outsized impact on their view of us. For example, if you’re selling an urban street wear brand make sure your backdrop isn’t a beautiful country vista. Because this will jar with the client’s expectations. What you wear and your backdrop is the client’s window on your business.
3 . We often think the most important technical aspect of a remote sale is how we look. However, we can all tolerate poor visuals but the one thing we can’t excuse is poor audio. To reduce poor audio and remove unwanted sounds get your microphone as close as possible to your mouth, I recommend a lavalier microphone. Note Steven Spielberg says over half his film’s success is its sound.
4 . If you want to deliver an impactful pitch consider standing when online. Similar to an in person pitch, you’ll find you’ll use your body differently and you’ll appear far more expressive and engaging. This all translates into a far more believable pitch.
5 . In person, sales can be influenced strongly by personal chemistry; the client feeling the sales person understands their needs. However, online this is far more difficult to replicate. As a substitute shift your focus in your pitch from telling to showing. In other words, try your very best to show how your solution works and benefits the client. Artificial intelligence makes bespoke video and images very accessible. Therefore, instead of telling the client they will save X or make Y, show them what this looks like and feels like through image generation.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I am a big fan of talent and merit. As a result, I petition for 100% inheritance tax to help removal structural inequality.
As we wrap up, how can our readers follow your work?
I regularly publish on LinkedIn and some of my lectures are made available online to the public. I’m also on Instagram.
Thank you for offering such valuable insights into the art of remote selling. We wish you continued success.
About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein, a seasoned entrepreneur with over two decades of experience as the Founder and CEO of multiple companies. He launched Choice Recovery, Inc., a healthcare collection agency, while going to The Ohio State University, His team earned national recognition, twice being ranked as the #1 business to work for in Central Ohio. In 2018, Chad launched [re]start, a career development platform connecting thousands of individuals in collections with meaningful employment opportunities, He sold Choice Recovery on his 25th anniversary and in 2023, sold the majority interest in [re]start so he can focus his transition to Built to Lead as an Executive Leadership Coach. Learn more at www.chadsilverstein.com
Andrew Tollinton of GetSIRV On Mastering the Art of Remote Selling in a Post-Pandemic World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.