How to Build Trust and Connection in Digital Sales

It often takes 12 to 18 touch points before soliciting a customer response in today’s sales processes, according to FlyMSG CEO Mario Martinez Jr. This number has continually increased over the past five years. The challenge of making initial contact is threefold: getting the message received, getting the prospect to engage, and then getting them to respond.  

When communication is primarily happening digitally or virtually, it’s important that prospects and customers still feel as seen, heard, and supported as they did when in-person meetings were more common.  

The Virtual ‘Big Fish on the Wall’

The shift to digital and virtual communications: emails and online meetings, can be viewed as an exciting step, but – without proper preparation – can also bring challenges like awkward pauses and disengaging discussions. When communicating only online, sales reps might lose subtle cues and aspects of in-person meetings. Eye-contact is more difficult, body language is obscured, and sensing shifts in energy can be difficult to discern which could lead to increased disconnection. 

Mario details in the webinar that an early sales mentor offered this insight: “Every time you walk into an office, you’re looking for the big fish on the wall.” The “big fish” is a focal point in the room that offers an easy way to break the ice. The buyer comments on the fish, the sales rep responds, a connection is established – and suddenly all the awkward anticipation dissipates. 

Even in the digital age, this “big fish” can still exist. Now, it requires you to consider your digital environment as a personal space. Think of using an interesting, virtual background as a conversation starter. Choosing something artistic or cleverly branded to your business makes it easy for you as a seller to initiate a personable conversation and for the buyer to be more engaged. 

Building better connections doesn’t have to stop at introductions and icebreakers. Making yourself more local to a prospect or customer, despite your time zone, is an important way to make stronger connections. Preparing sales conversations to deliver relevant touchpoints and information means that once the ice is broken, you can continue conversations with ease. Learn about where your prospect or customer is located, find out what the weather is like, or what’s happening in that area, and use it to show you’ve done your research. Commenting on the fair-weather streak related to a potential hobby – “Great golfing weather out there”– can connect you and put the buyer at ease and show that you’ve taken the time to get to know them, their interests, and most likely their pain points.  

Overcome the impersonality of online connection by using personalization paired with active listening and enthusiastic body language to bridge the digital distance. Identify, engage with, and talk about the “big fish”.  

Humanizing the digital experience

The relationship between sales reps and their buyer must prioritize relationality. Maximizer President, Mike Curliss, offers that sales reps should approach potential buyers as collaborators.  

Build trust with your clients by showing interest in their needs, requirements, and goals. Showcase enthusiasm about where there’s alignment between you and the buyer. Research and personalize all communications to the individual by doing research: look at their location, website, LinkedIn, and communication style. If you go looking and there is nothing to be found, don’t worry. You can circumvent personalizing to the specific individual and at least personalize to their persona based on relevancy to their role.  

When personal information isn’t available, it’s time to rely on buyer personas. Personas and customer profiles illuminate the challenges your product solves and the core audience you’re reaching. CRMs can be especially helpful for this. With CRM, you can harness existing customer and prospect data to identify and refine your ideal customer profiles, pinpoint pain points, and anticipate audience needs. Additionally, CRMs with AI-powered functionality can quickly identify trends across key demographics and offer actionable insights and suggestions for connection. Personalization, even at this level, will always be more successful than no personalization at all.  

AI-powered insight

CRM can do more for sales engagement than just research. As you build relationships, AI-driven features can provide daily reports to summarize tasks, follow-ups and team performance. CRMs track interaction history which helps maintain personalization in all follow-ups. For example, Maximizer’s AI can offer real-time coaching during calls, suggesting conversation points based on industry and deal stage.  

As sales leaders, training your reps on using these CRM features and sales methodologies like PVC (Personalization, Value, Call-to-Action) is key for your teams to build increased trust and better rapport with prospects and customers. Invest in training for video conference and recording tools, storytelling techniques, and personalized communication strategies, and watch your sales numbers skyrocket! 

Want to hear more from sales leaders who understand the power of personalization? Watch Mike Curliss (Maximizer President) and Mario Martinez Jr (CEO of FlyMSG) discuss their experience and expertise in Maximizing Sales Success: Leveraging the best tools for sales leaders.