Julie Thomas Of Value Selling Associates On Mastering the Art of Remote Selling in a Post-Pandemic World
An Interview With Chad Silverstein
Engage by Connecting, Confirming and Building Trust. Develop authenticity, trust and rapport. We may think we are coming across as authentic and genuine. But the reality is that we tend to trust people who see the world through the same lens or world view that we do.
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 Julie Thomas.
Author, speaker and CEO of ValueSelling Associates, Inc., Julie Thomas works with revenue leaders helping them realize sales results they never thought possible. A former Gartner executive, Julie is a longtime industry leader whose company consistently earns top awards as the pre-eminent provider of sales training services. A well-respected author, Julie’s latest book is The Power of Value Selling: The Gold Standard to Drive Revenue and Create Customers for Life.
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?
My first job out of school was in accounting, and I hated it — I was bored out of my mind.
I landed my next job at market research firm Gartner Inc. as an accountant for its sales operation group, and I realized a career in sales would be an ideal fit. It took months of convincing my boss that I could do the salesperson job before he gave me a shot and promoted me into sales. From then on, my career has been in sales, sales management and corporate leadership positions.
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?
Early in my sales career I read Dale Carnegie’s book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. It taught me that the foundation of all business relationships boils down to being interested in people and asking better questions.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
“Success in every area of your life isn’t for the chosen few. It’s for the few who choose it.”
— Sandra Yancey, Founder of e-Women’s Network
Being at the top of your game requires work, discipline and consistency. This is especially true of sales reps. Those who choose consistency over intensity tend to outperform those that don’t. It’s like going to the gym. I can go to the gym once and do a ridiculously hard workout, but that’s not going to get me healthy. What’s going to get me healthy is going to the gym every day. Consistency over intensity is always a critical success factor.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I’m passionate about helping develop the future sales leaders of the world. I’ve been a guest lecturer teaching sales for Brigham Young University, University of Colorado and the University of Michigan. To give back to other women within the sales profession, I serve on the advisory board of the eWomenNetwork Foundation to help women grow their businesses to achieve greater success faster.
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?
Since the pandemic, remote selling has shortened the traditional sales cycle. A remote buying committee can now be more productive meeting with each other and building consensus than before when people got on airplanes to sit in a conference room together. The elimination of travel and the elimination of barriers due to physical locations has helped many organizations make better decisions faster. For salespeople, this part of remote work is a positive.
A proven and effective strategy for closing deals — virtually or otherwise — is focusing the conversation on value realization. Demonstrate the measurable value to the buyers’ business throughout the sales cycle. In other words, show what outcomes the buyers will get from working with you. It’s not enough to save “time” or “money.” You must collaboratively build the plan for value realization with buyers to help them justify the sale. For example, instead of saving “time,” you’ll need to lay out the roadmap that demonstrates how implementing your solution will lead to x% reduction in cost of acquisition or another metric that’s high up on their priority list.
Your project needs to take precedence over others to get the funding, and to do that you’ll need to move beyond focusing on the technical problems your solution solves. Connecting the unique value your solution can provide to solving a key business issue builds the business case and justifies the sale.
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?
Technology will continue to evolve and change how salespeople do any kind of selling, including remote selling. Today, sales professionals should focus on and experiment with Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to gain better, faster insights about prospects.
Two initial use cases for generative AI and sales professionals include research and follow up. AI can enable sales professionals to quickly research companies, financials and prospective buyers — it also aids in effective written follow up.
We are using ChatGPT to help with research and messaging. It is a great way to synthesize larger amounts of information quickly — freeing up our salespeople for more analytical tasks like predicting an ideal prospect’s likely business issues and formulating a preliminary solution.
One key caution with AI is to validate the source utilized by the generative AI tool to ensure its reputable and accurate. You want to reduce the risk that you have bad or outdated insight.
How can sales teams maintain and build rapport with clients in a fully remote environment, especially when face-to-face interactions are limited?
Active listening and being able to communicate in the moment will be more important than ever to build credibility, rapport and trust in a fully remote environment. A sales rep who reads an AI generated prompt and does not listen will be as ineffective as a telemarketer who reads a script and depends on it to respond.
Humans (prospects and clients) will want confirmation that they’re talking with a real salesperson in the future — and they’ll want them to be genuine. This trend stems from two factors: First, human-to-human connection is crucial for instilling confidence in buying decisions. Second, cyber criminals are increasingly cloning people’s voices and facial expressions from social media posts, YouTube videos and media interviews using AI models — eroding trust in many sectors.
Can you share a story of a challenge you faced in adapting to remote selling, and and how you overcame it?
At the start of March 2020, ValueSelling’s entire calendar of scheduled in-person sales training sessions had been either cancelled or postponed indefinitely. I knew that a successful transition to a virtual sales training method was crucial. We had to be fast and we had to do it right. My team and I immediately re-evaluated the company’s online platforms to enable successful delivery of a new Virtual Instructor-Led Training offering to support B2B sales teams who had pivoted to selling 100% online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We knew it had to be much more than a series of online classes. It required higher levels of engagement and interactivity, which led to a reengineering of the company’s offerings from the ground up.
All ValueSelling solutions, including the flagship ValueSelling Framework® and Vortex Prospecting™ programs, are now available in a Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) format. Maintaining its customized and participant-centered approach, ValueSelling Associates keeps learners engaged in a collaborative, virtual learning environment.
ValueSelling Associates won a Stevie Award for Most Valuable COVID-19 Corporate Response, in recognition of our virtual B2B sales training.
Can you share a success story of a remote sale that exemplified innovative tactics or approaches in the post-pandemic world?
We had a very successful virtual sale with a technology company over a year ago. The sales process included a global buying committee of 20 people who were geographically dispersed on four continents, and multiple salespeople from ValueSelling Associates. Leveraging the chat feature in Zoom was extremely effective in this situation.
We didn’t have individual access to each person on the buying committee, so we used chat to engage some of the key individuals, one on one, with questions during the presentation. I sent messages to the prospect’s Senior Vice President of Sales, asking, Does this resonate? Are we on track? Is this what you’re hoping that we would cover in this presentation? Getting feedback in real-time enabled us to have deeper conversations during that presentation with the various key stakeholders. If we had stopped and asked 20 people, it wouldn’t have been as effective.
Here is our main question. Could you list and briefly explain “5 Key Strategies for Mastering the Art of Remote Selling” based on your experiences and insights? If you can, please share a story or example for each.
1 . Prepare by Understanding the Context of Communication. A virtual environment mutes your body language. Your facial reactions may be difficult for others to read and interpret. Start by creating the right mindset. Recall a time when you were “in the zone,” confident and articulate. Hold onto that feeling. Repeat your personal success mantra. Listen to a snippet of music that pumps you up. Then, get ready to:
- Be more expressive.
- Be more engaged.
- Focus on the pacing of your speech.
- Be aware of the physicality of your delivery.
- Exude confidence where typical cues are missing from in-person environments.
Mitigate distractions from your physical space (cars rumbling, dogs barking, doorbells ringing) to your digital space (email, Slack, LinkedIn).
Ensure your backdrop is professional and personal. What your client’s camera sees is how you are perceived. Are you taking a meeting while sitting on your bed or couch? If you’re working from a kitchen table what will viewers see? Your surroundings will speak volumes.
Prepare an agenda to make the most out of every virtual meeting, and set expectations up front to avoid potential misunderstanding. Keep in mind that repetition is often necessary to keep the attention of distracted audience members.
2 . Practice Building the Confidence for Connection. Rehearse and Record Yourself. Few people enjoy seeing themselves on video or hearing their voice on recordings. Virtual meeting skills require both. Practice until you lose your discomfort:
- Test your audio.
- Simulate the call with a co-worker.
- Log in to the meeting with a secondary device to see exactly what others will see.
- Manage your expressions, posture and environment.
- Check whether the audience is lagging behind.
- Record your presentation. Watch/listen to the recording. Be open to feedback.
- Practice your tools. If you are whiteboarding, practice what you will write and where.
- During the assessment, consider:
- What was effective? What could be improved?
- Did your use of tools flow effortlessly? Could you see the whiteboard?
- Did the presentation connect to what you had uncovered previously?
You have one chance to make a first impression, and each time you have a virtual meeting, you
are either expanding, confirming, or erasing that impression.
3 . Execute by Setting the State and Controlling the Story. First things first, get in the zone.
Get ready at least 10 minutes before your call starts:
- Launch the technology.
- Prepare to deliver your opener.
- Focus by shutting down and closing everything that could interrupt you.
- Smile. Looking at the camera is the virtual equivalent of eye contact. Move your camera angle and monitor until it appears you’re looking directly at your audience.
Let your biases melt away and frame a positive intent for the meeting outcome…ALWAYS!
Next, nail the opening. Manage expectations from the beginning:
- Start on time.
- Confirm the length of the meeting.
- Confirm the agenda.
- Restate the goal for the meeting.
- Ask if there is anything to add.
- For example, say, “We have 40 minutes for this call, then I need Dan the CMO to stay on the line afterwards for five minutes.”
Managing expectations is more important than managing time. You need to replicate the same
layer of control you use as if you were sitting across from them.
If it’s your first call, consider organizing your office meeting space to display something
intriguing or personal to serve as a conversation starter. For example, stuffed squirrels, parts of racing bikes, or exciting artwork. Let your meeting attendees ask about what they see instead of bringing it up yourself. Staging your space can be an informal way of conveying your unique personality and interests.
4 . Engage by Connecting, Confirming and Building Trust. Develop authenticity, trust and rapport. We may think we are coming across as authentic and genuine. But the reality is that we tend to trust people who see the world through the same lens or world view that we do.
As a sales professional, you control how you’re perceived, and your flexibility in adapting your communication style to somebody else’s will help you deepen your relationships.
In a virtual setting, you may have a natural inclination to talk, talk, and talk some more. Talking too much will not help you succeed. Using O-P-C (open-ended, probing, and confirming) questions becomes even more critical. Never skip the Confirm step. Confirming questions show that you listened. Confirming questions help you connect and drive a similar vision and outcome for the call.
Listening seems like an obvious thing to do. Virtual environments have so many possible distractions that can easily interfere with your listening skills. It’s impossible to confirm what you didn’t hear when you were distracted.
Ask probing questions, and allow time for your participants to go deeper into their explanations. Have the confidence to bring them back to keep on track and manage your agenda timing.
Use what the probing questions uncovered as a way to schedule the next step. “Mark, that’s a great perspective. I’d like to set sometime next week to explore this further.”
Create short value stories you can share to establish credibility without spending too much time talking about yourself. Value stories will not only gain interest from your meeting participants but set a mental model for the call and make a transition to your recap.
Lastly, use people’s names, include humor and be authentic. What are we conditioned to respond to from our very first breath? Our names. Use names every chance you get. “Lauren, great point.” “Ajay, can you explain that in more detail?” “Amber, did that answer your question?”
Don’t be afraid to use appropriate humor to relax and engage people.
Be yourself, even if you feel like it’s “too much.” Don’t underestimate how much a video screen can filter and mute your personality.
5 . Follow Up with Commitments and a Plan to Deliver. Close the call by locking in the next step/meeting before you dismiss everyone. Firm up the time and medium for that next interaction. Don’t be afraid to say, “Thanks to everyone for the time and insights. I’ll spend the last 5 minutes with Dan and appreciate the attention. Keep an eye out for my follow up in the next 24 hours.”
Then use the last 5–10 minutes you built into the agenda to deepen your connection and uncover personal value with the power buyer. Ask the decision-maker’s permission to summarize your notes from the call and commit to delivering the summary within 24 hours. Ask them to commit to providing feedback by a specific date and time.
In your follow-up, deliver a plan letter that mirrors the tone of your intended outcome and blend in the level of informality you experienced on the call. If there are multiple recipients, you will spend more time synthesizing various viewpoints. Your plan letter may need to be more polished. Spelling and grammar count. Write to the level at which you wish to be perceived. Mirror your participants’ language, formality level and vocabulary of terms.
When you have successfully locked in the next meeting, send the meeting invitation as soon as possible. In your notes, include a reference that you will send a complete follow-up summary within 24 hours (or the time frame you promised).
Did you get the information you needed? If not, what questions will you ask during the next call? How much time will you need? Use this information to set the agenda for the next call. If you are team-selling, perhaps another team member can follow up with separate emails to get more information but coordinate your response ruthlessly.
Lastly, debrief with the team by asking:
- How did the presentation go?
- What worked well? What can we improve?
- Did we get the information we needed?
- Have we progressed the deal or at least our knowledge of the opportunity?
- How did each participant perform?
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.
The best part of my job is empowering individuals to achieve results they never thought were possible. I’ve seen thousands of people increase the quality of their professional and personal lives — by excelling in sales. Sales skills are an integral part of success. We sell ourselves and our ideas to our peers and our parents, to potential employers and future partners. Sales is one of the fastest ways that a person can earn social and financial capital.
To that end, I’d like to see more high schools and colleges incorporate sales into their curriculums. There is no shortage of business and marketing classes and programs out there — but in the US, sales-focused programs are few and far between. When this changes, more people will be able to discover this rewarding profession and transform their professional lives in the process.
As we wrap up, how can our readers follow your work?
- Follow me on LinkedIn
- Follow ValueSelling Associates on LinkedIn
- Sign up for my monthly newsletter
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
Julie Thomas Of Value Selling Associates On Mastering the Art of Remote Selling in a Post-Pandemic… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.