Hi, Community members.

Happy Friday!

Just before we all finish our working week, the Sales Navigator Community team wants to share with you some key insights we collected from the latest LinkedIn Spark Event. We believe these will help you enhance your authenticity through virtual selling and help you get closer to your buyers. 

We all know that it’s easier to establish some sense of authenticity during an in-person meeting. You can do it though eye contact, a hearty handshake, and a positive vibe that allow sellers to immediately connect to their buyers. But, how do you do that when you’re working from home and can’t meet them face-to-face? Well, according to Davin Reed, from Gong, ‘’building trust starts by being your true authentic self in every interaction’’ and you can definitely do it when working remotely. 

Below you will find some tips on how you can embrace this as an opportunity, rather than a challenge.

Be Yourself, and Give Buyers a Window into Your Life

According to Reed, leveraging the personal aspect of conducting a video from your home can be used to your advantage. Your buyers will still perceive you as a great professional, even if you don’t have a professional-looking office or if your children are chatting in the background. They’ll relate to you at a more personal level and you can use those things as ice-breakers that will help you show your authenticity. 

Always Get on Camera When Possible

If you’ve attended Spark, then you’ve heard that, according to Gong’s research, deals are 127% more likely to close when webcams are active. It’s always more welcoming when you can actually see the person you’re meeting with, as this will both of you to pick up body language and reactions. As Reed says, “you want buyers to see they're working with a human being — someone they can trust."

Come Prepared with Casual Talking Points and Customer Notes

Ben Taylor of the Association for Talent Development, says that one of the biggest mistakes in virtual selling is assuming that rapport will come as naturally as it does in-person. However, when communicating virtually from a distance, this can be more challenging and it may be useful to come prepared with some topics that will allow you to facilitate a casual conversation. 

Infuse Authenticity into Your LinkedIn Profile

Before meeting a potential big buyer, have you taken a step back, viewed your profile through their lens and thought about how they might perceive you? If you haven’t tried this, I strongly encourage you to do it.

Ask yourself:

Does it read as a stuffy professional résumé?

Is it full of buzzwords and jargon?

Or does it really convey who you are as a human being?

Your LinkedIn profile is your online and public business card, so make sure you’re represented the best way you can.

Additionally, we’ve talked about the importance of sellers being thought leaders and the different types of thought leadership content you could leverage. Keep in mind that buyers might also do their own research before meeting you and that could involve looking at the content you shared and engaged with at LinkedIn. Think about how you can build your brand and ensure your buyers will see you as an expert within their field or industry. 

Be Honest and Transparent

Well, here is exactly where you will need to just be yourself. There is no formula for you to do it, besides acknowledging, not only your product and services’ strengths, but also addressing challenges that will help you build trust with the buyer. 

To sum up, for me one of the main key take-aways I got from Spark is the need to bring my authentic self to all virtual interactions. I’ve been trying to do this during the last year we’ve been working remotely and I can definitely see the benefits that connecting at a deeper level brings me and the one(s) I’m meeting with.

Let me know if this is something you’ve also been doing and if you can think of one example where by bringing your authentic self to a conversation you were able to cultivate a stronger relationship with a buyer. 

Hope you enjoyed these tips and the many others that were shared at LinkedIn Spark event.

Wishing you all a fantastic weekend,

Nadia