Virtual Selling: How to Build Relationships, Differentiate, and Win Sales Remotely

While many people have chimed in on the topic of virtual selling since the beginning of the COVID crisis, I was pleased to discover that this book had been in development for over two years. As such, it brings more than opinion. Readers will find real research conducted with both buyers and sales people. As a result, Virtual Selling brings data-backed ideas to the table.The book includes practical advice for how to sell virtually. The chapters get into the nitty-gritty of how to structure online meetings throughout the sales process. For reps who are new to online meetings, this advice will be extremely helpful. As someone who has sold virtually for 17 years, I’ve already discovered some tips that will make me more professional.At the beginning of the book, the authors make a great case for virtual selling being a more productive (and profitable) paradigm than traditional, face-to-face sales.What I didn’t necessarily expect from this book was the strategic aspect of the book. Having read Insight Selling and talked with Mike Schultz on the Selling From the Heart podcast, I should have expected that this book would include sales strategy. The section at the beginning of the book on consultative selling strategies is rich. Even if you don’t sell virtually (does this person exist?) you will benefit from this compelling discussion of how to become and effective consultative sales rep.This book will be an excellent resource for sales professionals that want to improve their craft.

Let me start by saying that I am not in Sales, well at least not as a profession. So why did I read this book? Years ago I was close to a man I highly respected and really considered him a mentor. In addition to that he was in professional sales and by all accounts, very sucessful. Having said all that one of the most important things he every told me that in some way or another almost everything we do is some sort of sales. It may be selling an idea, selling yourself, selling buy-in to coworkers, team members and even supervisors on plans and actions. I was working remotely long before Covid 19 and always found the lack of direct person-to-person contact challenging. This may be the most useful book I have read in several years. Every chapter has valuable tips and strategies, on things like motivation, presentations, technology, ROI and more. I really expected the material to be sort of dry but far from it. So many things have changed this year and the way we do business has too. Don't be left out, do yourself a favor and read "Virtual Selling: How to Build Relationships, Differentiate, and Win Sales Remotely."

The title of the book, Virtual Selling captured my attention as I was seeking a potential blueprint to the surviving these times of virtual storefronts and online sales. After beginning the book, however, it was evident that the perception I had gathered upon reading the summary might have been a bit off. Virtual Selling focused primarily on transitioning what was once referred to as Corporate Sales and Marketing, to now adapting to a new way of working in this virtual Corporate world and effectively conducting sales meetings online. The content was vague enough in that it could be applied to any sector, but specific enough to provide steps and processes and common sense approaches to this new world we are faced with.Although I felt the book would have been better titled Virtual Sales & Marketing, I was able to take away quite a few gems. What I really liked about the the book is that it was very relevant to our current experiences during the pandemic and it offered details not only about navigating through these uncertain waters, but provided tips on seizing the many opportunities and thriving. Overall, it was a great read and I'm looking forward to the next project these authors publish.

This is a timely yet timeless resource. The authors explain all the ways that virtual selling can be more challenging than in person, but also how people who put thought and effort in can rise above and even benefit from unique opportunities that virtual selling offers. I found myself underlining and starring elements from every chapter. For me, it wasn't a sit down and read it in an hour kind of book. I digested over the course of two weeks, but it will serve as a reference to return to again and again. I'm grateful in particular for the insights on creating more interactive virtual meetings and for some of the productivity hacks as well. This book covers many of the fundamentals of selling, but how they apply in a virtual environment. It is highly practical and really a no-brainer as an investment in oneself in navigating a changing world. Thank you to the authors, who it sounds like have been working on these approaches long before COVID, but their insights and approaches could not be more timely in helping others to adapt to new ways of selling that will be needed during and long after COVID as well.

Had been waiting for this book to come out ... and it was worth the wait!With everything going on in the world today, the game has changed for those of us selling B2B. Even for those who had been successful in the past, the shift to virtual selling is on. The good news is that Mike and his co-authors can help you navigate the new normal so you don't have to learn by trial-and-error.Another thing that I really liked about this book, and the other books from the RAIN Group, is that they are not only based on experience of the authors, but are also rooted in hard research.I found this book to be an easy read and think it does a great job pointing out the differences and similarities between selling in-person and selling virtually. A great example would be the section on building rapport and how that happens differently in a virtual environment.If you are selling in today's environment I would not hesitate to recommend that you get a copy of this book.