3 Reasons Why Online Business Meetings Don’t Work and How to Improve Them
release 2021.01.31 update 2024.3.13
I heard that you recently participated in an online business meeting,
How do you like it?
Hmmm…
It seems to be both palpable and not.
I don’t know much about it.
And it’s hard to read whether the destination is really biting,
At the end of the online business meeting, you are told, “We’ll consider it then,” and you send the necessary materials, but then you never hear from us, right?
That’s right!
Now that the government service offers free participation in online business meetings for internationals, I’ve signed up for a lot of them,
And of course, as Ms. Paco always squeaks and says, no oops, advises us to do, I had prepared my presentation materials in English and was ready to go,
And even though they are foreigners, they have no reaction, like a Noh mask. No, I think they are reacting, but there is not much that comes through for me, so I ask, “Is there a possibility? No? Eh, which is it?” And I’m agonizing over it, screaming oui in my mind.
I’ve been like this three times already.
I’ve had enough of online business meetings…I’m wondering if there is any point in continuing with this kind of thing.
Please don’t tell the president about this.
What, you want me to shut up?
Mr. President, you are here.
!
So… so… so… so sorry. Um…
Online business meetings are not that easy to begin with, as the prerequisites and level of preparation are different from those for real business meetings.
I see.
Why Online Business Meetings Are Difficult
1 ”Preferred courtesy” is not expected.
One of the reasons online business meetings are difficult is that you cannot expect “good manners. In fact, a real business meeting consists of two things: the “core of the meeting” and “courtesy.
A “good courtesy” is, for example, “consideration” for the following.
- Since the other party is in front of them, both sides try to be at least civil on both sides.
- The person receiving the sale is not 100% passive, but rather tries to return the pass with a few words or questions as appropriate to keep the conversation flowing.
- If there are any shortcomings or issues in the materials or information provided by the sales person, a response can be obtained on the spot that the “attention pass” is delayed, and it is easy to understand the to-do for the next step and to determine “yes” or “no. This makes it easy to determine “yes” or “no,” and to avoid a zero response.
On the other hand, in online business meetings, we try to be “polite” to each other at the beginning of the meeting,
- The person in front of you is real and in real time, but it is hard to feel their reaction directly through the screen. There is a sense of tension that differs from an in-house online meeting.
- The person receiving the sale is sitting there, naturally, discounting the effort to circulate the conversation, except in the case of a very good (if you want to buy). This attitude is unconscious in the customer’s mind. I can’t say “Why? The cooperative function that facilitates business negotiations is secretly turned off.
The sales person is left alone with the little information available, and begins to feel impatient. - If there are any shortcomings in the materials or information provided by the sales person, the sales person must do his/her best to follow up on these points and shape the path to the next step.
The weight and quality of the position itself is no longer the same as during face-to-face business meetings.
Exactly!
It’s like that.
In person, I can concentrate on the content of the business meeting itself, but in an online meeting, I feel like I haven’t reached that point, or rather, I feel anxious and helpless that I haven’t captured the customer’s heart.
I see.
You feel helpless and dotty, I know.
But,
This can’t be helped to some extent.
If you were in the opposite situation, I don’t think you would be exercising your usual “good manners,” even unconsciously.
That is normal.
Then it’s still ・・・・,
The online business meeting is available at ・・・・,
So it’s the end of the world.
2 Ad-libbing is not a good match.
That is not true.
Online business meetings are just not compatible with the improvised progression that has worked in real life.
We have to build our sales talk and use of materials on the premise that we can proceed without any “courtesy” from the other party.
Some companies are also achieving results in online business meetings.
But oh, ・・・・.
At one point, they wanted to discuss the product, an appointment was made, and in that sense, both sides should have been on equal footing,
When it comes time to start, I feel that there is a lot of invisible work that we have to do.
I don’t know what that is, but….
Maybe..,
Isn’t that invisible work the key, in online business meetings?
You are right!
Three ways to improve online business meetings
1 Check prerequisites
Even though this is an online business meeting, we are both busy and have made time for each other. At the beginning of the business meeting, it is a good idea to briefly go over the objectives and goals of the day.
・How to proceed today
・Reason for attending today
・Mutual Goal of the Day
・What is the current problem of the recipient?
・Exchange of local and regional market/industry information
It may be a little, embarrassing, but please make sure you moderate the event properly yourself.
In face-to-face meetings, it is often not necessary to say every single thing, but online, it is a good idea to declare it at the beginning and watch the other party’s reaction as you proceed.
The worst thing you can do is to start a presentation without making eye contact. It is difficult to get the client to accept the order, and the best you can hope for is to simply say, “If there is anything else I can do for you, I’ll be in touch.
I may have seen that mountain a few times (gasp)….
(DON’T MY…)
2 One-person funny man and straight man Practice
The lack of “courtesy” from the other party means that the other party is highly passive, which in turn means that you can take control of the entire business meeting, depending on your efforts.
At this point, let’s create a script for the business meeting.
This means that you should prepare your sales talk in advance, assuming a variety of reactions from customers.
Well, wasn’t that something you usually did?
We’re doing it at home, right?
Yes, that’s about all we do all the time.
Sales talk is in my head, and I’m flexible on a case-by-case basis…
Hmph, that’s where the pitfalls are.
It is the resourcefulness of real business meetings,
It’s a preparation that worked in real life.
The word “script” is not an exaggeration,
Because I want you to try to write it all down.
3 Optimization of presentation materials for online use
B2B,
・If they ask me something like this, I will answer like this, or show them this document,
・If interest is low, explain this case study and its results with this URL,
・If interest is quite low, switch to providing industry information,
・The topics at that time were first automobiles, then semiconductors, and finally medical equipment.
and so far, 3 minutes and 30 seconds
・Competitor information will be known so far, but the response will determine whether or not additional information is disclosed,
・If they bite, lead them to talk about the product and emphasize the difference between the product and the competition by including it in the benefits of purchasing the product,
・The reason why the competition cannot follow suit will be explained in objective figures along with other materials,
・This will be a barter that will provide details of the evidence when we receive the purchase order.
Anticipated Q&A during this time can be found at ・・・・
Such as,
The point here is to make effective use of presentation materials and manual sales talk, but also,
We never overlook the needs and questions that are revealed at every turn of the conversation, and we work together to create a small sense of satisfaction by using data, images, charts, and photos as needed,
Or it is to explain in simple words and share the sense of conviction.
On the other hand,
For B2C
・Evidence images of being in the TOP 10 selling online shopping or being in the TOP 10 niche sales
・Store display images and retailer testimonials and reasons for repeat business
・Provide specific examples and documentation of shelf-wide product measures for tying in.
and 4 minutes and 30 seconds so far
・SNS and media recognition
・Characteristics of sales in the Corona Disaster, and future assumptions
・Evaluation from a buyer who has recently started doing business with us.
・Specific trading conditions, concerns about price increases due to raw material shortages and rising transportation costs, and PR that now is the time to buy.
And so on…
Practice speaking these things in a timed, crisp manner while actually operating the material-sharing system as if the customer were behind the screen.
Unlike face-to-face presentation materials, when practiced,
The documents, data, and images that are shown according to the needs of the customer at the time may be required in detail, or direct URL sharing may be sufficient,
We also realize that we need to be more flexible and switch to talk-only depending on the response.
That’s why, over and over again, I try to practice my one-person blurring and funny man and straight man with an international client in mind.
Good, you’ve never gone that far, as I’m sure you’ve never done that at our house.
・・・・・・.
There is no such thing.
What in the world is the practice of a one-man funny man and straight man? 。。。。
(Please don’t be silly, Mr. President, you’re getting into the swing of things, aren’t you?)
Even if the result of online negotiations does not lead to an immediate purchase,
Nice talking to you today, can I call you again?”
If you can get a potential international client to say, then, for starters, you’ve done a good job.
Because it is an international expansion of the Covid-19 pandemic,
Don’t look down, Just Keep Going !
