Virtual Meetings with Potential Customers — How To Keep Their Attention

As New York remains on “PAUSE” and in-person meetings remain halted around the globe, videoconferencing tools, such as Zoom, WebEx and Teams, are lifelines for entrepreneurs looking to engage potential customers.

If an entrepreneur is lucky enough to get a virtual meeting with a potential customer, how do you maximize that opportunity to create an engaged discussion — one that leads to a second discussion and, hopefully, a pilot?

After participating in dozens of Zoom meetings as part of our virtual FinTech Innovation Lab, here is a list of best practices we developed for our 2020 class.

1) The best meeting is a discussion, not a presentation.

The more you talk, the less your potential customer is listening. On a conference call, I assume most people listen without multi-tasking 10–20% of the time. On a video conference, that percentage may rise to 30–40%. Engaging your audience in conversation drives that number higher and demands their attention.

2) No more than a 5-slide presentation.

When the PowerPoint is up, everyone but the speaker has the option to wander off into a half-listening state. By slide 6, your listeners are likely multi-tasking and no longer focused on what you are saying. Some may even be in another room, getting a third cup of coffee or doing a quick check of their children’s homework. You can always send a longer deck the evening before or as a follow-up.

3) Pull down the slides during any discussion.

If someone asks a question during your presentation, don’t miss the opportunity to fully engage! A question while you’re presenting is not an interruption, but rather a great sign that your audience is interested in what you’re saying. Use questions as a springboard into a discussion.

4) Never ask, “Does anyone have a question?”

People that are not paying attention will never have questions. Instead, prepare a list of questions that you can direct to specific people on a call. Ask questions designed to elicit a qualitative response, such as:

• Have I described a problem that is keeping someone at your organization up at night?
• Have you seen other solutions like ours?
• What are the integration issues we should be aware of?

But avoid cold-calling. Use the person’s name (Steve, can I ask you a question?) then, ask the question. Wait for a beat and elaborate or restate your question to give your listener a chance to return their attention to you and collect their thoughts.

5) Don’t feel the need to fill the silence.

Sometimes a delay occurs because someone is not aware they’re muted or is trying to find the unmute button. Also, since you ultimately want a dialogue, let the others fill the silence.

6) Keep calls 45-minutes or less.

One of my favorite sayings is, “I’m sorry … I didn’t have the time to make it shorter.”

Video conferences are surprisingly tiring. Your audience can’t get up to stretch while getting a cup of coffee and remain present. Virtual meetings require a higher level of concentration than in-person ones, so be concise and get to the point faster. Start strong with a clear description of the problem you’re solving.

7) Always have a wing person.

A second person from your team should always be on the call to:

• Deal with technical issues.
• Quickly exit slides if a discussion starts.
• Watch for people talking with their mute buttons on.
• Take notes for that important follow up email.

On video calls, many non-verbal clues are not available to you, so it’s crucial to enhance and pay extra attention to the ones you have. To get creative, try using your company name or logo as a custom backdrop!