Zoom for Sales: 13 Tricks to Make Zoom Calls Better

Love it or hate it, Zoom meetings are here to stay.

Unfortunately.

Since the COVID pandemic, virtual meeting platforms have become the standard way to communicate with customers, whether that be for sales meetings, product demonstrations, or internal meetings for sales teams.

Zoom meetings have become critical for business.

As someone who is definitely not a fan of Zoom meetings, I do realise their importance, so for that reason, I have come up with a good number of tips to ensure that you can maintain a good level of professionalism while maintaining your sanity online.

Whilst I do mention Zoom throughout this post, please be aware that the below suggestions can apply to any video conferencing software, whether that be, Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, or whatever else is available.

To start off, let’s focus on your Zoom call setup.

Always Use a Clean Browser for Sales Meetings

When sharing your screen with either your sales team or a customer, no one likes to see the thirty thousand chrome tabs you have open, whether they be for work or personal purposes.

For this reason, before your Zoom meeting, ensure you have a clean browser window set up, including all the information you are looking to share in the meeting.

This will help to keep your Zoom call clean and professional without you having to worry about accidental distractions.

Keep Your Desktop Clean & Tidy

Another simple tip when it comes to hosting a professional Zoom meeting is to ensure that you present a clean and tidy desktop when presenting your screen.

This means making sure your desktop backgrounds look professional and you don’t have loads of files messing up your desktop. This is particularly important if some of those files are sensitive in nature.

So, before getting on a Zoom meeting, be sure to clear up all your desktop clutter and present a neat, clean, and professional appearance to all those who are tuning into your sales meeting.

Also, ensure that your notifications are either turned off or kept to a minimum, as these can be distracting and annoying for viewers.

Make sure your phone isn’t going to go off too. On a Mac, turning your computer to do not disturb also activates it across your other devices, so it might be worth turning this on when you know you’re going to have zoom meetings.

Ensure High-Speed Internet

This shouldn’t be too much of an issue today, but the obvious thing is to ensure that your internet speed can handle your Zoom meetings.

Nothing is more frustrating than when someone has poor internet, and their audio and video are constantly choppy and dropping out.

It’s difficult enough to ensure you are making a convincing sales presentation without having to deal with poor internet connectivity at the same time. Nothing screams “unprofessional” more than having a potential customer have to deal with poor video quality.

So make sure you are connected to the highest possible bandwidth and, if necessary, make the company that employs you pay for it. And if they refuse, just quit!

Know How to Hotspot to your Phone.

Another useful zoom tip is to know how to hotspot your phone.

Not all business locations will have sufficient WiFi connectivity, so it’s a good idea to Zoom into meetings from your phone instead. This can be done by turning on your phone’s hotspot and then connecting to it with the zoom software installed on your computer.

This will ensure that you always have a stable connection when in meetings, no matter what the quality of your internet connection is.

Make sure your computer can handle multiple video streams.

I’m sure we’ve all experienced a Zoom call with other sales teams where the number of participants makes the meeting run super slow, causing you to miss parts of the conversation and even lose your connection at times.

To avoid this issue, it’s important to ensure your computer has the processing power necessary to support multiple video streams.

Additionally, having a high-quality webcam and the most up-to-date Zoom software installed on your computer will also help with video processing.

It’s important to ensure that everyone has their video turned off until they are needed during the zoom call. This will help to keep things running smoothly and limit the strain on your computer’s processor.

Get your audio quality sorted.

Many salespeople forget that audio quality is just as important as video when you use Zoom. Having a clear, powerful microphone is just as important as having a quality webcam.

So be sure to invest in a good-quality headset or microphone that can allow you to make crystal-clear audio calls during your Zoom call.

And if possible, try and use a wired connection instead of wireless, as this can help to prevent audio dropouts.

I personally use Logitech wired headsets. They provide good-quality audio and are robust.

Consider a professional background image.

Sometimes customers won’t want to see your messy bedroom when it comes to sales calls. So, consider the possibility of using one of the many virtual backgrounds that are available on these virtual meeting platforms.

These don’t need to be anything too sophisticated. Even the blur effect to hide the background clutter can probably do the trick.

If you want to go a step further, you can personalize a background with your own branding or company logo. This can help to make your virtual meeting look more professional and also acts as a powerful marketing message for your brand.

So if you’re serious about your sales, be sure to consider giving your Zoom call a professional touch with the right background image or branding.

Treat your virtual meeting like any other meeting.

A Zoom call should be treated just like any other sales meeting. This means common courtesies like:

• Ensuring the sales meeting runs on time
• Meaningless banter is kept to a minimum
• Participants and customers are introduced at the start of the meeting
• An appropriate agenda is set
• Clothing is worn that is appropriate to your related position
• Your camera is left on where possible

And other good manners that you would use in an in-person meeting.

By treating virtual meetings with the same professionalism and courtesy as you would any other sales meeting, you can ensure that you make a good impression on your customers and clients, so they leave the meeting with a good impression and are inspired to continue communications with you.

Mute yourself.

I’m sure your sales teams don’t appreciate background noise on calls, so why would a customer?

Unless you are the person speaking, ensure that your mic is turned off for the duration of the meeting.

The mute button won’t only improve the quality of the zoom but will also prevent a customer from hearing unexpected sounds like the sound of a dog barking or the television in the background.

So, to make sure that your Zoom sales calls are professional and enjoyable for everyone involved, be sure to keep your mic muted unless you are speaking.

Record your meetings.

One of the great benefits of zoom calls over in-person calls is that they can be recorded and shared afterwards.

This is a powerful tool for salespeople, as it allows them to review their calls in detail and tweak their sales tactics accordingly.

Recording your Zoom conversation also allows other sales teams to review how you use Zoom to conduct your sales presentation. This can help them to learn new ideas and techniques that they can apply during their own zoom calls.

The most important thing is to ensure that you let every customer know that you will be recording the zoom call and that they give you permission for the recording to happen.

Be aware that a customer might behave differently if you record the meeting, so be sure to avoid asking anything too personal – it might make them uncomfortable.

Make use of chat.

Many people forget this, but many video apps provide a chat function. So instead of interrupting a call unnecessarily, consider using this function when you want to gain some intelligence on the meeting.

You can also use the dialogue box to brainstorm ideas with your team or bounce new ideas off of colleagues.

The chat function is also useful when your customer has questions about your sales call. They will be able to add all the questions they have throughout the process, and you will be able to respond to each one without interrupting the overall zoom call.

Provide a more immersive experience.

One of the most underrated but coolest features of the Zoom app is its immersive mode. This mode presents a screen that allows all the team members or customers that are on the call to be added to a combined background.

This app feature might just help your contact feel more included in the call and that they are part of a team.

Be deliberate with screen sharing.

While most video apps have a screen share button, it’s important to be mindful of what you share onscreen.

It’s easy to accidentally share sensitive information or documents without meaning to, so be sure to use screen sharing with caution.

You can also ask your customer to share their screen if there are insights or an example they may like to share with you. Just be aware that the customer may be on a personal computer, so be mindful of any personal information you might unintentionally see.

Conclusion

Remote sales is here to stay therefore it is important that sales teams get familiar with this new world that we find ourselves in.

The sales space is an exciting one, and all the sales apps and tools that are coming out now just make our jobs all the more easier.

Be the example you want to see regarding video calls, and you will be all the more successful.