Professionalism Still Matters: 3 Tips to Avoid Zoom Catastrophes (Sales Series, Part 5)
It seems that decades of professional decorum descended into anarchy once we were forced to work from home.
Example? Zoom catastrophes, some too-delicate-to-name, have become commonplace.
What’s refreshing about this shift to work-from-home that we’ve experienced is that the pretense in business melted away, and we got real with each other through a common bond of empathy and compassion. Everyone was suddenly in the same boat, undergoing the same invisible hurricane and trying to adjust to the new normal. Kids were welcome on zoom calls, backgrounds were whatever environment you were forced to work in, and loved ones made surprising star appearances in business meetings. The world’s humanity was on display through our screens and it bonded us … for a short time.
But now that the winds of chaos have died down (somewhat), this brave new virtual world is here to stay. In fact, in Gartner’s Future of Sales report, they predict that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur in digital channels. This means, once we’re through the COVID-19 era, digital interaction will still be the primary place to conduct business.
So, it’s time we respect the virtual presentation medium for what it is: one of the most important communication tools in your sales arsenal.
I asked popular speaker and author Mike Michalowicz in a recent skucast interview, “What key lessons have been important to you as you transitioned from in-person to virtual-only?”
Mike responded, “I think that the biggest lesson is that presentation still matters in the virtual world. You see these gaffes where folks say “I’m working in my pajamas!‘ and I don’t know that that’s satisfactory anymore.” Mike reminded us that how we present on-screen deserves far more attention than we’re giving it.
He emphasized that the screen “flattens our energy,” it “de-dimensionalizes” us, reducing us to a flat image and not a dynamic presence. In place of our warmth, professionalism, manners, and decorum -all traits that would be evident in our in-person meetings- we’ve replaced it with a casualness and maybe even an awkwardness that on one hand is endearing but, taken too far, can be perceived as unprofessional.
As Mike suggested, we need to invest in the right resources that will allow the vibrancy of our personality to shine through virtual engagement. Because first impressions still matter in the sales game. Professionalism still matters during a sales pitch or a demo. Image is still important when it comes to representing the brand through our respective roles.
This isn’t a debate between authenticity versus fakery; it’s about removing the awkward (visual and auditory) speed bumps so that your vital message can be heard.
So, let’s remove some speed bumps and talk about the three small things that make a big difference in our virtual sales presentations (share them with your team!):
What You Wear is How You (Re)Present
Nope, you don’t have to now wear a tie and jacket or dress and heels. You can still proudly wear that hoodie or t-shirt, wear whatever you want, as long as it’s something you would wear in a client meeting IRL.
Yes, you could hide from the camera and choose to wear shorts and a blazer, or pajama bottoms and a blouse, but the general rule of thumbs is: don’t wear anything that will prevent you from feeling confident, secure, and poised for success because how you feel about yourself is how you will present. Fashion designer Miuccia Prada said, “What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is an instant language.”
Moreover, now that we’re working from home, we no longer have the commute to disassociate our work-lives from our home-lives. A small hack is to use apparel as a way to create boundaries of distinction. So, by all means, wear that athleisure suit or those yoga pants, but slip into those after work, as a way to establish a boundary from your work life and toward your home life, from work-mode to self-care mode.
All of us are trying to find a way to bring harmony and distinction to our work life and home life, and now that work and home are blended, it means we need to work harder to distinguish between working hours and refueling hours and a simple tactic like dressing for the right occasion will do wonders for your headspace.
Light It Up, Sound it Out
When Mike Michalowicz moved from physical to virtual he decided to invest in the right lighting and audio tools to ensure he made the best impression possible. Now, Mike’s a speaker and delivers keynotes for audiences, but you also deliver presentations to (small) audiences all the time.
So, I asked our friend and highly respected photographer, Brian Stidham, to hop on a quick video chat to talk about the best lighting set-up plus additional tips. Brian is the Director of Business Development at EMT and has over 10,000 followers on his Instagram page. Fans love him for his creative eye and technical skill. In this very informal video, we talk about several key aspects of bringing your best self forward through the camera, such as: making sure you are filling the screen so that you are the central subject the camera sees, camera placement do’s and don’t’s, plus, Brian and I nerd out on audio tips as well.
I have some things to fix now that Brian schooled me, but if you’re interested in some of the lighting equipment he discussed, check out his equipment list in the links below.
“Your Mute Button Is ON”
It’s surprising how little time we dedicate to preparing for the technical presentation portion of a meeting. Most of us slide into the meeting and then, once the meeting begins, we then fumble with our camera or adjust our audio. It creates an awkward moment, and instead of focusing on the customer, you’re fiddling with the tech. It's certainly forgivable for a new client meeting, but it’s still a first impression.
For critical presentations in-person, most of us would show up early to the meeting to get set up and make sure that the atmosphere is right, and the same logic applies to our virtual meetings. Schedule on your calendar a few minutes before your meeting to make sure your audio, lighting, and camera are all configured correctly. If it’s an important visit, like a prospect meeting, get an “energy-read” from a colleague, connect with a coworker right before your meeting to ask them how your audio sounds, how your camera position looks, and how your appearance comes across.
Also, are you and your team fully trained on Zoom? Did you know you can use whiteboards and that there are other features you can utilize? Or is Google Hangouts your preference? Either way, schedule some training with your team. Technology apps, as a rule, are grossly underutilized. Spend some time with your team -it won’t take long- to educate yourself on all the virtual video capabilities. Don’t let your clients become your test subjects as you flail through an awkward zoom experience.
And finally, with all the zoom catastrophes occurring, now is a great time to talk with your team about proper presentation etiquette that represents your brand. Have an honest conversation about balancing authenticity with professionalism. Many of us are still adjusting to this new world, but as the Gartner research study pointed out, the virtual presentation is here to stay, so we need to treat it as a permanent part of our future rather than a temporary passage through.
Most importantly, we should be very concerned about what our clients remember about us and our brand throughout all of our touchpoints.
Noted psychologist Daniel Kahneman said that what people remember from experiences are three things: changes, significant moments, and endings.
So, the next time you make a presentation to a critical prospect, do you want her to remember the amazing message you delivered, or do you want her to remember your cute puppy that made a surprise appearance on screen? Do you want that committee to fully embrace the fact that you and your team are the right resource for them or do you want them to question your ability to turn on your audio?
Presentation matters. Professionalism matters. And all of these little touchpoints in our marketing add up and reflect your brand experience. While we want to be genuine, authentic, and mindful of the world (and our colleagues) as they adjust to this new digital experience, we also want to be sure that our message, our purpose, and our mission are not left on that stack of laundry piled up in full view of our zoom audience.
Brian’s suggested resources: