1.     The Lead Generation Scam

One of the most insidious scams targeting small businesses involves fraudulent lead generation services. In this scheme, companies approach small businesses, promising to boost their customer base through targeted leads. However, many such companies deploy bots to spam contact forms on various, often irrelevant websites. The consequence? Not only does the business waste precious resources on ineffective services, but it also risks a tarnished reputation by inundating potential customers, and often random people, with unwanted spam. Worse still is that unsolicited business communications to private inboxes carries the risk of a GDPR violation, and a potential fine.

2.     SEO Deception

Small businesses eager to enhance their online presence frequently fall prey to SEO scams. These scams typically involve companies offering Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services at enticing rates. However, rather than employing legitimate strategies to improve website visibility and organic traffic, many unscrupulous entities resort to deceptive tactics. They spend a fraction of the budget on paid advertising, such as Google Ads, and pocket the rest. As a result, small businesses may experience a temporary spike in traffic, but the SEO service hasn’t done anything the small business could have done itself. Moreover, such practices undermine the trust of small business owners in legitimate digital marketing services.

3.     Phishing Attacks

Phishing attacks remain a prevalent threat to small businesses, often disguised as emails or messages from trusted entities such as banks, suppliers, or government agencies. Unsuspecting employees may inadvertently divulge sensitive information, such as login credentials or financial details, believing they are responding to legitimate requests. These attacks can have devastating consequences, ranging from financial loss due to fraudulent transactions to compromised data security and reputational damage.

4.     Fake Invoice Scams

Another common ploy targeting small businesses is fake invoice scams. In these schemes, fraudsters send bogus invoices for products or services never ordered or received. Small business owners, juggling numerous invoices and payments, may inadvertently process these fraudulent invoices, resulting in financial loss. Moreover, falling victim to such scams can erode trust between small businesses and their legitimate suppliers or service providers.

5.     Tech Support Scams

Small businesses reliant on technology are particularly vulnerable to tech support scams. Fraudulent individuals or companies may cold-call or send pop-up messages claiming to provide technical support or security services. Unsuspecting employees may grant remote access to their systems or divulge sensitive information, believing they are receiving assistance. However, instead of resolving issues, these scammers may install malware, steal data, or extort money under the guise of fixing non-existent problems.

The ramifications of falling prey to these scams extend far beyond financial losses. Small businesses risk irreparable harm to their reputation, loss of customer trust, and even legal repercussions due to compromised data or fraudulent activities. 

In the face of such threats, small business owners must remain vigilant and proactive in safeguarding their operations. It is essential to fully vet any unsolicited offers of services, no matter how enticing they may be. Additionally, double, even triple-checking that a communication is legitimate before actioning it can save you considerable headaches. Implementing robust cybersecurity measures, educating employees about common scams, and verifying the legitimacy of service providers before engaging with them are crucial steps in fortifying defences against fraudsters and schemers.

The prevalence of scams targeting small businesses underscores the importance of awareness, vigilance, and proactive measures in safeguarding against exploitation. By staying informed and adopting a cautious approach, small business owners can protect their enterprises from falling victim to the deceptive tactics of fraudsters, and ensure the longevity and success of their ventures.

The post Beware of Common Scams Targetting Small Businesses appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

1. Active Listening: Engage and Understand

The first skill on our list is active listening. It involves giving your undivided attention to your prospect, demonstrating genuine interest in their needs, and seeking to understand their perspective. Avoid interrupting and truly absorb what they’re saying. By doing so, you’ll be better equipped to offer tailored solutions addressing their pain points.

Tip: Maintain eye contact, nod occasionally to show attentiveness, and paraphrase what the prospect has said to confirm your understanding. This will foster rapport and trust, making your prospects more likely to engage with you.

2. Effective Questioning: Uncover Needs

Asking the right questions is an art form in sales. By asking open-ended questions, you encourage prospects to provide detailed responses, revealing their needs and desires. These questions also help you gather information to personalize your sales pitch and offer a solution that genuinely resonates with them.

Tip: Use the W5H method (Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How) to structure your questions and encourage prospects to elaborate. Avoid leading questions that may limit their responses and opt for thought-provoking queries that delve deeper into their pain points.

3. Empathy: Connect on a Human Level

Empathy is a powerful skill that enables you to understand and share your prospects’ feelings. Empathy shows that you genuinely care about solving their problems rather than just making a sale. You build a deeper connection and foster trust by putting yourself in their shoes.

Tip: Practice active empathy by acknowledging and validating the emotions expressed by your prospects. Use phrases like “I understand how frustrating that can be” or “I can imagine that must be challenging.” This creates a supportive atmosphere, allowing you to establish a stronger rapport.

4. Clear and Concise Communication: Cut Through the Clutter

In a fast-paced world, attention spans are short. Salespeople must be able to communicate their value proposition clearly and concisely. Avoid jargon and technical terms that may confuse your prospects. Focus on highlighting the benefits and outcomes they can expect by choosing your product or service.

Tip: Prepare an “elevator pitch” that succinctly describes your offering in a way that anyone can understand. Practice delivering it naturally, ensuring it captures attention and sparks curiosity. Remember, less is often more when it comes to sales communication.

5. Adaptability: Tailor Your Approach

Every prospect is unique, and a one-size-fits-all approach seldom works. Salespeople must be adaptable and tailor their communication style to each individual. This involves understanding their personality, preferences, and communication style to build rapport and establish a connection.

Tip: Observe the prospect’s communication cues and mirror their tone and pace. If they prefer a structured conversation, provide clear information and statistics. If they respond better to anecdotes and stories, use storytelling to convey your message. Adaptability will help you build a bridge between your prospect’s world and your product or service.

6. Non-Verbal Communication: Actions Speak Louder

Non-verbal cues can often speak louder than words. How you present yourself, your body language and your facial expressions can significantly impact how your message is received. Salespeople should pay close attention to their non-verbal communication to ensure it aligns with their intended message.

Tip: Maintain an open and welcoming posture, make eye contact, and smile genuinely. Use hand gestures sparingly and intentionally. Be aware of your facial expressions to convey confidence, warmth, and enthusiasm. These non-verbal cues will make your prospects feel more at ease and engaged.

7. Persuasive Storytelling: Paint a Picture

Lastly, do not underestimate the power of storytelling. Stories are memorable and emotionally compelling, making them a valuable tool for salespeople. You can create a vivid picture of how your product or service has positively impacted others by sharing success stories, testimonials, or case studies.

Tip: Craft a library of compelling stories highlighting the benefits and outcomes your prospects can achieve. Adapt these stories to suit different industries and pain points. Use descriptive language and let your prospects visualize themselves in the story, making it more relatable and persuasive.

Conclusion

Effective communication lies at the heart of successful sales. By mastering these seven crucial communication skills – active listening, effective questioning, empathy, clear and concise communication, adaptability, non-verbal communication, and persuasive storytelling – you’ll be well on your way to becoming a world-class salesperson.

Remember, practice and persistence are key. So, get out there, connect with your prospects, and let your communication skills shine! With time and effort, you can refine these skills and unlock greater success in your sales journey.

The post 7 Crucial Communications Skills for Salespeople to Unlock Success appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

There is little reason not to make video a part of your online presence. With the availability of smartphones and inexpensive editing tools such as Canva and Adobe Express, even the luddites amongst us can enhance their social presence with some quick promotional videos, explainers, or even live video to reach out to our customers directly.

However, there are some obstacles and pitfalls the inexperience may not immediately realise.

A Failure to Understand the Platform

Think about how you use social media, whether it’s Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, etc. All of these sites use the same content-delivery method – content is stacked on top of each other encouraging the user to scroll. So conditioned are we to scrolling, that a lot of content gets lost in the noise. What we’re seeing doesn’t even register with us, until something catches our eye.

Different platforms present our content in different ways. Some sites, such as YouTube, allow the user to put a thumbnail image on the video. Other sites will use the first frame of a video as a makeshift thumbnail. More will simply autoplay the video once it’s in the user’s device viewport.

We need to understand how each platform will present our video and tailor it accordingly. Our thumbnails need to be intriguing and enticing, our first frame should pique curiosity, and the openings of our videos should be exciting and novel. Failure to tailor our videos in such a way leads to people scrolling past.

Not Getting to the Point Quickly Enough

In the film industry, there’s a rule of thumb that if a script reader gets to page ten of a script and doesn’t have an idea where the story is going, then the script gets tossed aside. In the TV industry, a writer has until around page five.

In the world of social media, you have about ten to fifteen seconds to grab someone’s interest, and even that is pushing it. Therefore, not only do you need an eye-catching enticement to stop scrolling and watch your video, but you also must ensure you’re delivering your message instantly, and that message needs to be something that will get people to stick around.

There is no point wasting a couple of seconds on your logo, or adding a title screen, or putting in anything that is likely to send an audience elsewhere. If you’re posting an explainer video, don’t waste valuable time explaining the problem, get right into how you’re going to solve it.

Ideally, your social videos should be as short as you can make them. Anything more than a minute in length is sketchy territory for maintaining people’s attention spans, and if you can get your message across considerably quicker, that’s a huge boon.

Not Having a Script

You don’t need to write a screenplay to make a good video for social media, but you do need to know what you want to say and have the confidence to say it clearly. Nobody wants to listen to somebody ‘um’ and ‘er’ through a video, nor are they interested in watching someone going off on wild tangents. If you look like you’re ‘winging it’ then the only reason people are going to watch your video is for comedy value, and that’s definitely not what your goal should be.

At the least, you should have a structure for the video planned out and rehearsed, so that you can deliver your message clearly and concisely. You should also ensure that you’ve researched your points, are using the correct terminology, and not making the type of errors the Culture Secretary makes on a regular basis.

Trying to Emulate Television Advertising

People aren’t on social media to watch television adverts, and most of the adverts shown on TV would fail on social media. For a start, most of the time, you’ll want your video to occupy as much of a user’s viewport as possible – and that means filming in portrait mode, as opposed to landscape/widescreen. Widescreen videos looks great on a 55” HD TV, or even a laptop/desktop monitor, but they look tiny on a phone screen.

For a phone user to watch your widescreen video, they need to click the maximise button then physically rotate their phone. Those are small, but still extra steps and steps a lot of people simply won’t be willing to take.

Forgetting to Subtitle Videos

When a video appears in your feed, it’s muted. People don’t like random noises blaring from their devices, so the platforms require the user to turn the sound up manually. Many people won’t do that, for obvious reasons. If someone’s in a public place and hasn’t got headphones, it’s embarrassing for them when their device suddenly starts blurting out noises. Consequently, you need to subtitle your video to make sure your message gets across.

It’s also worth noting that many people who use social media may be hearing impaired anyway, so subtitling your video is simply the decent thing to do and shows awareness of the current discussions around accessibility.

Lacking Confidence

Many people feel that they shouldn’t post video that is ‘imperfect’ – too raw, too shaky, too amateurish. What you need to remember is that expectations are lower on social media. People aren’t expecting to see MCU-style cinematography, or Leonardo Di Caprio levels of acting skill. Sometimes the imperfections can work in your favour, as they can lead to a perception of your video being more honest and relatable.

Don’t focus on what’s wrong with your video. Instead, ask yourself whether what you’ve got is interesting, enticing, whether it’s going to catch people’s eyes and get them to stick around. That’s far more important than having HBO production values.

Forgetting the Call to Action

You’ve done it! You’ve put up a video. It’s caught people’s attention. It’s being shared, liked, commented on – what’s next?

Don’t assume that people who watch your video all the way to the end will be encouraged to follow you, visit your website, email you, or anything else. You have to provide some instructions. If you want people to follow, ask them to follow you. If you want people to visit your website, tell them that. If you want people to buy your product, tell them where they can buy it. Give them something to do!

Otherwise, you’ll have put all that effort in and little will come of it.

Need Some Help?

If you’re looking to develop your social selling skills, we can offer a range of solutions to enhance your people’s abilities to sell via social media, master their virtual presence, and even lead remote social selling teams. Get in touch, and discover the RLA difference!

The post Social Selling: 7 Mistakes You Might Be Making With Video Content appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

Lack of Buy-In from the Board/Executives

Often, it is the people at the very top who need the training first. However, board members and executives tend to feel that they already know what they’re doing and don’t need training. They adopt a stance that there is nothing more for them to learn. This leads to a situation where the board inevitably fail to adopt the recommendations of the programme.

While you can still train those lower down, without the will at those of the top to make changes, the programme ends up failing to deliver results.

The Generic Approach

A great training programme reflects the market sector, the customer needs, the business culture and environment. A coach spends time getting to know the business before the training takes place to understand real-life challenges and use common language, relevant examples, and a range of practical activities.

Unfortunately, there are trainers out there that sell ‘off-the-shelf’ coaching solutions. They don’t take the time to know the business, so they will try and use the same programme for a B2B technology wholesaler that they would use for a retail pet supplies outlet.

If your leadership coach isn’t suggesting preparation and research, then you should look elsewhere.

An Outdated Approach

You wouldn’t send your child to a school that still taught them that mercury was a fantastic cure-all or that piling on the carbs is a great way to lose weight. There are many things that we once accepted as fact, but we now know are not true.

The same applies to leadership theory. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is still a staple of many leadership programmes, despite being written in the 1940s and widely disputed today. Worse is when coaches parrot a common but gross misunderstanding of concepts such as McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y. They didn’t understand it to begin with, and now the incorrect interpretation is accepted as accurate.

A lot of content still used in leadership programmes was written decades ago, and much of it is no longer relevant. Leadership coaching is a science, and just as you’d be horrified to go to the doctor and find they wanted to drill a hole in your head, you should be very wary of any leadership coach using outdated textbooks and techniques.

A Militaristic Approach

“Break them down and build them back up!”

It’s called attack therapy and is a prevalent method for training recruits in the United States Army. During the 1980s, attack therapy became a popular method for leadership programmes, which it really should not. If you’re going to war, then sure, you will need to confront pressure and phobias, but despite much macho posturing, business isn’t warfare unless your business is organised crime.

The biggest problem with attack therapy is how proponents disregard the individual’s stresses, fears, and mental makeup. I have seen people in tears after a session with a wannabe drill sergeant who evidently never watched past the halfway point of Full Metal Jacket.

Yes, people want to be, and should be, challenged. Overcoming challenges is vital for personal growth, and experience can make us stronger. However, not everybody is up for a Bear Grylls-style survival weekend in the Peak District. You need to respect your people’s boundaries and tailor your programme in a way that ensures those boundaries are not violated.

A Poor Spread

Believe it or not, food is important. Food gives us energy, and that energy is what ensures our people are engaged and motivated. Hungry delegates are rarely receptive or engaged in the content. Snickers are not what I would suggest, but they are right – you’re not yourself when you’re hungry.

If you’ve hired a great leadership coach, then you should support them. Part of that support is ensuring that your delegates have good, healthy food available at lunchtime. Make sure you’ve accounted for dietary requirements, and try and avoid bloaty foods like sausage rolls and Scotch eggs.

If your budget can stretch to it, consider bringing in a catering company to provide something a little bit exciting. The more comfortable your people, the better your results.

Lack of Pre and Post-Work

A great leadership coach should be sending through pre-work and follow up-work. If they don’t, then the training exists in a bubble. It just becomes a day you’re expected to “get through” before you return to your regular job. The training needs to be embedded, and the best way to accomplish this is to make the delegate’s think about it before and after.

Pre-work aids the training by giving the coach an idea of where the people are. What are their skills, what needs improving, what challenges are they facing, etc.? Post-work demonstrates to what extent they’ve understood the training and how they will be implementing it.

Both provide a key set of metrics that a coach can use to assess the impact of the training. Great coaches don’t just deliver a day’s training and leave you to it. They continue to provide an after-care service to ensure that your people maximise their potential and your investment.

Additionally, delegates must be informed about the training, structure, expectations, etc., before it occurs. Don’t just send them to the venue on the day and expect results. Encourage them, excite them, and work with them to ensure they’re ready to start learning new things.

Too Much Theory

Think back to school. Who were your favourite teachers? I would wager that the majority of your favourite teachers were the ones who engaged the class. Very few people respond well to a pure theory approach. PowerPoint is a crutch for some coaches. They overuse it. A coach that stands and talks for hours isn’t going to engage people. Eventually, your mind will wander because you are bored, and once that happens, very little will stick.

The most effective training is only about 30% theory. The rest is practical application – roleplays, scenarios, relevant games, and similar. When you’re looking to bring a leadership coach in, you should ask them what they do to keep your people engaged. It’s not your people’s fault if the coach can’t keep their attention.

With that in mind, some organisations think that their people shouldn’t be having fun when training. There is an incorrect assumption that if your people laugh during training, they must be mucking about. That isn’t true. When we’re having fun, things stick. A real-life example is how most of us will remember more lines of dialogue from a comedy show than we’ll remember from a gritty drama. We remember them more effectively because they brought us joy, and our brains are hard-wired to seek joy out.

Therefore, your coach should be making your people laugh. The training itself should be fun and interactive. The more fun a person has during a training session, the greater the likelihood the training will stick long-term.

Are you interested in Leadership Training? We have the skills, knowledge, and experience to deliver a world-class training experience to your business that will deliver tangible results and a fantastic return on investment. Just drop us a note here, and we’ll get back to you soon.

The post 7 Reasons Why Leadership Training Can Fail appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

Master Your Tools

You need to master your tools and master your customers’ tools. Your organisation may prefer Zoom, but a customer may wish to use Teams or Skype. Familiarising yourself with several of the most popular video conferencing or communication platforms will help avoid any embarrassing technical issues.

Renew Your Focus on Building Rapport

Ensure that you are fully present during a virtual meeting. A good strategy, although not an intuitive one, is to look directly at the camera from time-to-time. Not only will this prevent your eyes from drifting, but it helps to mimic eye-contact, which is often lacking from virtual conversations.

Similarly, try to gently mirror the other side’s body language, energy and language. Don’t just clone their mannerisms, but attempt to break down the cyber barriers by creating a welcoming environment.

Engagement

When presenting/pitching, don’t rely too much on PowerPoint. While you may wish to show some slides, because of the nature of online interactions, it can build a wall between you and other people. Instead, send some pre-reading, use whiteboards, and other sharing tools.

You should also encourage questions by calling upon people regularly to give you their thoughts and reactions. Make sure that you pay attention to see if anyone is using a hand-raising tool, and let people know before the meeting that they can.

Mimic the Walk to the Elevator

After most in-person pitches or presentations, there is usually the few minutes where both parties walk to the elevator or to the exit. While this obviously doesn’t occur during a remote conversation, you should aim to include a five-minute ‘cooldown’ towards the end of the meeting.

This is one of the last, and often one of the most effective chances you have to influence the other side by building a personal connection. Always remember that people like people who are like them, and are always far more likely to buy from somebody they like!

The post Practising Your Virtual Selling Approach appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

In coaching, we primarily work face-to-face. It’s a people-oriented profession and working alongside those people has been seen as the best method for embedding new skills and developing talent. Remote consultations, such as over the phone or via Skype, have usually been considered as an extra, rather than the primary delivery method.

Therefore, it is fair to say I was sceptical about transitioning to primarily remote delivery. I had questions about the technology and whether I could adequately recreate the classroom experience. Would people pay as much attention? Would they consider it to have the same value? Would there be technical complications? A lot of concerns rolled around in my head. It has always been vital for me to feel that people are benefitting from the training I’m delivering. Could remote training really replicate the in-person experience?

Having been delivering remote programmes for several months now, I feel more confident to say that it could. There will always be times when in-person training is better. Larger groups or residential weeks cannot be delivered remotely. Teambuilding is best managed in reality, not virtual reality. Sometimes the key to unlocking somebody’s potential needs an unfiltered training experience.

More and more, however, I see the value of remote learning. The feedback from clients has allayed a number of my initial misgivings. The versatility of Break Out Rooms for roleplay and simulations significantly helps to make the remote experience more dynamic, while polls and chat encourage engagement. The technical challenges we’ve faced have been minimal, and mostly due to nothing more than a temporary blip in a delegate’s internet connection. Even these have been easy to overcome, as we can record sessions to view later.

Moving forward, I could see remote training have increasingly practical applications. Bite-sized sessions are not only more environmentally friendly, but they are also more cost-effective for both the client and me. Businesses need no longer set aside whole days for some training sessions when smaller groups could be managed in a more staggered manner. Productivity will only increase as courses need no longer be as intrusive on a delegate’s time. If several delegates are unavailable due to unforeseen circumstances, it’s not as problematic as it is with in-person. We have been able to provide additional follow-up sessions quickly, ensuring nobody is left behind in their training journey.

As I write this, sitting in a room on a hot day, I’m reminded of those times a group of us have sat in an uncomfortable office in the middle of summer. While we might not be able to cool down everybody’s home, there is an additional comfort factor in being able to work with an iced-latte and a nearby desk fan. People always work better and learn more, when they’re comfortable.

Our brand new LMS allows us to create supplemental materials, such as pre-work and post-work, to add even more value by challenging and developing people beyond the sessions themselves. We can even better tailor our post-session development work more to the individual, delivering additional learning materials that take into account a person’s needs and goals. Our LMS allows us to see, at a glance, how our delegates are progressing, where they thrive and where they struggle. We can evaluate an entire group’s understanding of the materials and deliver our findings confidently to business leaders. Combined with our E-Learning Platform, we can offer additional low-cost training courses, on-demand, to our clients ensuring a steady stream of valuable materials to facilitate success.

Although we found ourselves in this position out of necessity, by forcing us to confront the limitations of the way things have always been done means that we can now confidently find new ways to do the same thing. In-person training will always have its place in the coaching world, but I am not ashamed to say that I have transitioned from sceptic to believer over these past few months. I truly believe that, in time, remote training may no longer be delivered out of necessity, but become the default for a lot of programmes.

The post From Sceptic to Believer: Remote Training and the ‘New Normal’ appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

With that in mind, we wanted to offer a few pieces of advice for anybody currently lacking confidence in their work.

Be Patient With Yourself

If you’re used to working in an office environment and now find yourself at home, it is perfectly natural to feel somewhat out of sorts. Remote working can be a lonely experience if you’re used to a busy office. Transitions can take time to get used to, and even after a couple of months’, you may feel like you’re not at your best. Try not to worry about pushing yourself; just focus on what you can do.

You’re Not Slacking Off if You Take Some Time for Yourself

One of the primary concerns managers tend to have about people working remotely is that they might be slacking off. With the copious temptations of the modern home, it’s easy to imagine somebody bingeing Better Call Saul on Netflix or a dozen funny cat videos on YouTube. While that may be a legitimate concern for some managers, you shouldn’t feel bad if you take a bit of time each day to unwind. If you’re already anxious, stressed or lonely, a chapter of a novel or a quick comedy clip on YouTube might be what you need to re-centre yourself.

Protect Your Work Time

While you should definitely factor in some ‘me’ time, you also need to be protective of the time you have. There is a tendency for others to see someone working from home as not really working. Your family and friends may think you have time for a chat, or household chores, or an online video game; particularly if you are taking five minutes to sip a cappuccino while watching cat videos.

What you need to do is assess what must be done each day, sort tasks in order of priority, and work through them in order of priority. When you are working, you need to minimise distractions. This might mean putting your phone on silent, closing your email client or simply shutting the door to your workspace. Let your family and friends know when you’re going to be busy and unavailable.

Get Comfortable

Not many of us have invested in the expensive chairs you often find in modern offices. We don’t tend to have water coolers, air conditioners or lots of plants. The reason why office managers invest in these things is that comfort improves productivity. If you’re uncomfortable, then those niggling frustrations of sore backs, boredom or heat/cold tend to fester and impact how productive you are.

While it’s unfeasible to spend a small fortune on acquiring all sorts of new equipment for a short-term situation, you can still take steps to make your work environment more comfortable. Try using cushions on otherwise uncomfortable chairs, use slideshow functions to change your desktop wallpaper, listen to music that stimulates your mind and try to think how you can personalise your workspace to make it a pleasure to be at.

Keep in Touch With Colleagues

Make sure your colleagues know how they can reach you, and ensure you know how to reach them. In remote work situations, it often pays to be more forthcoming with communication that you might typically be. Ask yourself what your colleagues and managers might need to know, and make sure that they do. By being proactive about keeping everyone in the loop, you will likely find that others adopt similar policies. Consequently, the remote workspace not only feels less lonely but also more productive.

Make an Effort in the Morning

When you don’t have to try hard, it’s easy to sit at your computer in a dressing gown with personal grooming put off until later. However, if you make a similar effort in the morning to what you would do on a typical work-day, you may find that you put yourself in a more productive frame of mind. You needn’t go so far as to put on a suit, but try not to start the day off too casually. Think about what you want to do today, how you would generally start the day, and dress and groom accordingly. What we do in the morning has a significant impact on our mindset for the whole day, so start the day as you mean to continue.

Ask for Feedback from Leadership

It’s a lot easier to feel comfortable with what we’re doing when we know whether we’re doing it right. Leaders may assume everything is fine if they don’t hear from us, but we may take their silence as a sign, something is wrong. Instead of wondering, or panicking, reach out to your leader and ask. You’ll either receive some good advice on how to improve your performance, or you’ll gain the confidence to know that you’re doing well. Either is a good thing.

The post Improving Productivity and Morale while Working Remotely appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

In our previous article, we looked over the basics of video conferencing, but how do you make your meeting a success? Today we’re going to be looking at methods to keep people engaged, particularly in team meetings.

Maintaining Order and Encouraging Contributions

It’s important to keep people engaged. The best way to do this is to ensure that everybody can contribute. That can be difficult when it’s hard to know when to speak. For those trying to listen, there is nothing more frustrating than several people talking over each other. Fortunately, many video conferencing platforms have anticipated this problem and provide different ways to allow people to contribute while simultaneously keeping things ordered.

For example, in Zoom, there is both a text chat feature and raise-hand function. This means that people can type out their thoughts, comments and questions on the fly, or raise their hand if they want to say something in voice chat.

You should make an effort to understand the functionality of your video conferencing system and create a set of simple guidelines to let people know the process for contributing to the meeting. Distribute these guidelines a few days before the meeting to give people the chance to learn and understand them.

Encourage People to Mute their Mics When They’re Not Speaking

Some video conferencing platforms allow the room leader to mute the non-active speaker. If that functionality is unavailable, it’s best to encourage people to use ‘push-to-talk’. Alternatively, they could use any available software mute or the physical mute button for their microphone. This helps not only to keep the chat free of coughs or other interruptions but typical background noises such as music, outdoor sounds or pets.

Encourage Contribution

To prevent people’s minds from drifting, it is good practice for the facilitator to regularly canvas opinions from the group. You can encourage them to type an answer into chat, or go through them one-by-one to allow them to speak. However, you do it, taking the time to enable people to speak up not only aids overall meeting engagement, but it can also help overcome the nerves of some who are perhaps more self-conscious about video conferencing than others.

Read the Room

It’s good practice to ask that everyone has a webcam available for a video conference. Some people might have good reasons for not having one, such as working on desktop computers which are not always sold with cameras included. If possible, however, it’s best to try and encourage these people to get a camera or even send them one if practical.

The reason you want everyone on camera is two-fold. First, it helps mitigate some of the isolation your people may be experiencing working from home. They can see some friendly faces and have more honest and open interactions with each other.

Secondly, it helps you to read the room – to identify who might be distracted, upset, confused, etc. You can keep an eye on people’s facial expressions and body language to assess where people are. If you get the sense that somebody is feeling left out of the conversation, you might want to try and be more proactive in including them. Should someone not be paying attention, you may want to ask if they can stick around for a private one-to-one to get a sense of whether they need additional support.

Try to Keep it Short

Particularly when dealing with larger groups, you want to try and prevent people from taking up large chunks of time speaking. We know that some people are naturally more verbose than others, so people must try and get to the point quickly.

You also want to keep the meetings as short as is reasonable. It’s uncomfortable to stare at screens for too long without a break. If you simply must have a longer session, factor in natural breaks every half-hour or so to allow people to stretch their legs, grab a coffee, nip to the toilet or attend to their families. You will find meetings are far more productive when you can keep people relaxed.

Seek Feedback

When the meeting is concluded, ask everybody who attended to send some feedback about the meeting. Make sure they include any difficulties they may have had, such as problems hearing certain people, keeping up with the different opinions being expressed, or anything else that may have dampened their experience.

You will also want to confirm that they understand any measures agreed upon in the meeting, or any assignments handed out.

Use the feedback to work to tailor people’s experiences for the next meeting, and you’ll soon be able to engage in remote sessions with more confidence.

The post Video Conferencing Tips for a Successful Meeting Part 2 appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

As with an in-person meeting, the first thing you need to decide upon is what you wish to achieve from the meeting. Are you delivering a product demonstration and pitch? Perhaps you’re negotiating an already existing offer? You could be meeting a new client or contact within an organisation for the first time. You may also be conducting a meeting with your team members.

With the meeting’s purpose firmly in mind, you should begin preparing for the call. Ensure that any documents, information, PowerPoint slides and similar items are ready and rehearse the content of any pitch or speech you need to give.

If it’s a team meeting, make sure that you circulate an agenda, preferably a couple of days before the meeting to allow your people to comment or contribute to it.

Be Punctual

When running a remote meeting, you must be punctual. Try and ensure that you are in position at least fifteen minutes before it begins. This gives people confidence that everything is working at your end, doesn’t leave other early-birds sitting around staring at loading screens, and importantly, it allows you to thank everybody for attending as they filter into the room.

Small Talk

Try and set everyone at ease with a little bit of small talk. Have an icebreaker ready. Understand that this is the perfect time to start trying to engage people in the meeting by asking questions. If it’s a team meeting, give people a chance to let you know how they’re coping, particularly during the current health crisis.

Presentation Skills

We all know that when you’re working from home, it’s easy to let things slide a bit. Perhaps rather than wearing your typical work suit, you’ve adopted the heavy metal t-shirt and jogging bottoms approach? That’s not a problem when you’re flying solo, but a meeting is a team affair. If you’ve decided to start growing out your beard or haven’t been able to visit the hairdressers for a while, at least make yourself presentable.

If you’re meeting somebody for the first time, perhaps a new client or contact, then it is even more critical that you make a great first impression so go the extra mile to make sure your appearance is up to scratch.

You should also ensure that your room is well lit, with no distracting elements in view of the camera. A few typical items like a coffee mug or picture frame are acceptable, but if you’ve got a Pulp Fiction poster on your wall or a pet tarantula behind you, then you might want to consider moving things around a bit.

Body Language and Speech

55% of all communication is non-verbal. Think about what you’re like when you’re on the phone. You might be fidgety, you might pull faces, or you might slouch or otherwise appear to lack confidence. During video conferences, it’s often easy to forget that other people can see us. You should treat the meeting as though it was an in-person meeting, and adopt the same body language that you usually would. Avoid appearing too casual, and be mindful of what you are communicating to the other participants.

When it comes to speaking, you should have a good quality microphone that you can get. While many laptops come with built-in microphones, you often find that these are of poor quality. Similarly, cheap and cheerful headset-mics are usually cheap for a reason. It is worth investing in good quality equipment. While it is not currently feasible to test devices in-store before you buy, make sure that you check out reviews of different products.

Equipment

You also need to consider that many of your attendees may not have good quality headsets and microphones. They may also have network problems that cause stuttering or lag. Consequently, you need to speak clearly and concisely, and possibly slower than you might typically speak. Don’t sound condescending if speaking slower than usual; try and maintain a positive pitch and tone, and after key points, ask everyone whether they understand.

Finally, remain upbeat and try to remember to smile and give a warm vibe through your facial expressions. You want people to be and stay engaged throughout, and that won’t happen if you look like you don’t want to be there.

The post Video Conferencing Tips for a Successful Meeting Part 1 appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

Salespeople often want to push the ‘big ticket’ items. They will have a well-crafted pitch and all of the answers to the questions they think the client will ask. Problems arise when it’s the client who goes ‘off-script’ – an unforeseen objection, an unanticipated question, not needing what the salesperson is selling.

Your salespeople need to be able to connect with your clients on a personal level. They need to listen to what your client is telling them and only then direct them towards a solution. Sometimes it might not be the highest value sale they can make, but selling the right product or service reaps greater rewards in the long-term.
 

They Don’t Know What They’re Selling

Of course, to sell the right solution, a salesperson needs an in-depth knowledge of what they’re selling. They need to be able to make recommendations, pitch the benefits and answer questions. If your salespeople don’t know what they are selling, how can you expect them to inform the client?

Always remember, a customer primarily asks themselves ‘How will this benefit me?’. You need to ensure that your salespeople can answer that question before it has been asked.
 

They’re Not Asking the Right Questions

Great salespeople have a knack for finding a customer’s pain points and discovering their needs. After all, if you want to sell the right product you need to be able to work out what that product is. The more diverse your offer, the greater the challenge for a salesperson to narrow down the options.

Sometimes a customer may have already sold themselves on one product, but it is, in fact, another that would be more appropriate. Train your salespeople to ask your clients what challenges they want to overcome and dig deep into specifics to make sure you are selling the right product to the right client.
 

Your Salespeople Are Unlikeable

Sales is a people-oriented business. If your salespeople cannot connect with people, then you need to figure out why? It could be that they’re perceived as loud or abrasive by employing high-pressure sales tactics. Perhaps they come across as somebody who is only after the commission, or there is something else off about their presentation. Whatever it is, you need to address it quickly.

Remind your salespeople that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to sales. Each client is an individual and needs to be treated as such. Consequently, people skills are a vital part of sales.
 

Your Salespeople Are Not Prospecting

Prospecting is vital if you want to keep your business ticking over. Too many organisations allow their salespeople to sit around and wait for leads when business is slow. Instead, they should be training their salespeople to generate their own leads. Get them on the phones, firing off some emails or arranging meetings with clients.

Slow days are the perfect time to keep a relationship active, keep clients informed and even to follow-up recent sales to make sure the customer is happy. All of these activities can help keep your pipeline flowing.

You can read more on Prospecting here.
 

Your Salespeople Cannot Sell Themselves on Your Offer

A salesperson needs to be enthusiastic about what they’re selling. If they cannot sell themselves on a product, how can they expect to sell it to somebody else? At worst, an unenthusiastic salesperson comes across as demotivated, which may reflect on your business poorly.

You should encourage salespeople to research your offer, ask questions about your offer and engage in roleplays where they sit in the buyer’s chair and have the product sold to them. Help them to understand what problems this offer solves, and they should then be able to pitch it enthusiastically to clients.

The post Six Mistakes Your Salespeople are Making appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.