Since 2020, our agency has closed more deals virtually than ever before.
But, lots of agencies are still struggling to close deals online because they find it easier to bring on new clients when they sell face to face.
And so, I’m going to share with you these 5 tips for better zoom meetings that you might not have considered based on my 20+ years of experience being an agency owner and having a degree in film and video production.
Tip #1: Be Prepared for Your Virtual Meeting
We’ve all been in those zoom meetings where the mic isn’t working, the video won’t turn on and we spend a lot of time trying to get it working so we can start our meetings. Testing your audio and video settings can be easy to skip, but it’s also easy to do a few minutes before jumping into an important meeting.
Momentum is lost when you don’t start your meeting the right way. It can already be nerve wracking to be jumping into a virtual setting and avoiding technical glitches will help things get started right.
Tip #2: Make Sure Your Client Is Prepared
It’s one thing for you to prepare yourself, but don’t forget about making sure that your client is prepared too. Of course, you can’t test their mic and video camera for them BUT you can make sure that they know how to connect to your meeting.
Always make sure that your clients know that it is a virtual meeting and make it easy for them to access the meeting information by including it in the calendar invite and sending an email.
If your client misses your meeting because they can’t connect or didn’t know it was a virtual meeting, that’s a surefire way to delay or lose a potential client.
Tip #3: Show Up On Time
When I was in the marching band, our band teacher had a saying.. “If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re early, you're on time.” (and some would add, if you’re late, you’re dead 🤣)
When you are on time for a client, you show them that you care about them. The reality is, if you’re showing up late to a meeting during the sales process, the client might also assume that’s how you run your business too.
In a world where first impressions matter, showing up on time is one of the best ways to demonstrate your professionalism and build trust.
Tip #4: Look Professional
This is probably the BIGGEST area of opportunity for agencies when it comes to closing more deals virtually. With my background in video production, I have an eye for how to compose great looking video and audio. But most people in the world accept the poor quality without even realizing it.
The good news is that you don’t need to spend any money on different equipment because you can probably get better results out of the equipment you already have.
Visually, you want to make sure that your head fills the frame. Having too much space above your head makes you look small and may subconsciously come across as being weak or inferior. Also, make sure that you don’t have any bright sources of light behind you. Turn your computer or move lights in your space so that the light is in front of you. For example, you might turn your computer so you're facing a window.
When it comes to audio, make sure that you are sitting close enough to your microphone. You could consider using ear buds. The further away you are from a microphone the more room noise you will pick up. This is especially problematic for rooms with more echo. Nobody notices good quality sound, but the bad quality sound is a major distraction.
Tip #5: Always Have A Next Step
It’s easy to click that “Leave Meeting” button and move on to the next thing on your list and the same is true for the client you are meeting with.
That’s why you need to be intentional about how you end your meetings.
Always agree on the next step with a prospective client and don’t leave it up to chance. Maybe you’ll agree on a future meeting date or a time to follow up. Whatever it is, talk about it with your client and gain agreement. Lots of deals fall apart at the end when they wouldn’t have if there was a clearly defined next step.
Right now we’re getting ready to start our 5-Day Challenge called Agency War Plan. It’s all about building a 90 day written action plan to double your agency. Find the details and link to register in the description or head to agencywarplan.com
