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calls to discuss a new opportunity . This has to do with many factors , including the rapidly changing environment that we currently face , the fatigue that sets in when you are on the phone or staring at a Zoom screen for more than an hour , the narrower bandwidth of human communications afforded by virtual interactions , and so on . More rapport building

Sometimes , when you ’ re in a virtual mode , it ’ s easy to just plunge into the business conversation . You ’ re not in someone else ’ s office , and the natural tendency to chat and connect on a personal level gets pushed aside by a task orientation . Take a few minutes at the start of a call to get to know the other person .

Supplemental media

Now is a good time to surround your virtual interactions with additional media - for example , articles , well-done digital brochures , videos , podcasts , interactive demonstrations , and so on . Use them to bring your personality , your experiences , and your solutions more vividly to life .

Better listening

You need to become an even better listener .

Even on video , you don ’ t get the same clues about how the conversation is going . It ’ s easy to talk over the other person because of the signal delay and also - if you ’ re on the phone - because you don ’ t see the other person ’ s body language ( e . g ., their facial expression may telegraph that they want to say something , but you don ’ t see it ).

Better questions

Thoughtful questions - what I call Power Questions - are always critical , but even more so now . Why ? Because it ’ s hard to feel personal warmth over the phone , and questions are important both because of the substance they uncover and because they telegraph your sincere interest in the other person . Studies show that people who ask good questions are perceived as more likable . Fresh , thought - provoking questions will help you overcome some of the limitations of virtual communications .

More effective use of your voice

For example , sameness is the enemy of the speaker . Modulate your tone , volume , and cadence / rhythm to keep the listener engaged . Slow down to make an important point . Lower your voice to convey seriousness ( that ’ s right - lower it , don ’ t raise it ). Pause more often and for longer periods of time than you would if you were face to face . These silences invite the other person to speak , and they help ensure you don ’ t talk over them . Project energy and enthusiasm - even more than normal .

If you have a soft voice and you don ’ t tend to inflect your speech that much , you can come across as low-energy on the phone . Again , studies show that high levels of enthusiasm make you more likable and interesting to others .

The critical challenge is to master the core principles and steps of the business development process . Adjusting them to a virtual world is actually the easy part .

Dr . Clifford J . Ferguson is the Managing Partner of Rainmakers , and Board Member of Glad ’ s House Kenya . You can commune with him on this or related matters via email at : Drcliffordjferguson @ me . com .

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