You’ve probably attended more than just a few Zoom sales meetings these past few Covid years. I’m one of the people who love Zoom for its productivity. There are some people who aren’t getting the dos and don’ts of Zoom meetings whether they meet for sales, training, or customer service.
Be ready to join Zoom sales meetings early.
Do you log on at 9:59 am if a Zoom meeting starts at 10am? That’s too late. You should sign in early to your Zoom meetings. You would not come to a client meeting late. So why come to a Zoom meeting late? Instead of signing in a minute before the meeting, you should sign in earlier and then turn your camera and microphone off so you are ready for when the meeting starts. Or course, if there’s casual conversation before the meeting starts, feel free to join in. For my most important meetings I’m signed in 15 minutes before the meeting. Ten minutes is adequate for most meetings.
One way to be sure that you can sign in early is put the meeting link in your electronic calendar so you don’t have to email the host to provide the link. It’s a simple click to enter the meeting without having to search emails for the meeting invite.
Prepare your camera for the meeting.
You may be joining the meeting by laptop or cell phone. You must have a stand for your cell phone so you can capture your entire face and avoid projecting a shaking image. I was part of a team recently interviewing a job candidate. She was almost immediately dismissed from consideration. For the first few minutes I could only see half her face (the bottom half). Next, her phone was being jostled so badly that it was difficult to see her during the interview. The other interviewer said to her, “Can you please stabilize your phone?”
My thought was that this interview indicates her preparation for sales calls. She probably doesn’t do much planning for her sales calls if she comes to the interview unprepared. Not good! She lost my vote for her employment.
You probably know the camera basics. Check your background. What will the other meeting participants see? You might have to temporarily remove some things from a credenza in the background. Messy surroundings detract from your perceived competence. You might use a background that’s provided with your green screen feature if you can’t create a neutral background or one that supports your brand.
Be courteous on the call so you don’t distract others.
Close your camera if you’re going to walk around. I’ve seen too many room ceilings and bobbing cameras instead of people at their desks. You should certainly mute your microphone when you aren’t speaking, especially if you’re in a noisy area.
For the hosts of a combination face-to-face and Zoom meeting, please restate the questions or comments from participants in the host’s room. Often the remote participants can’t hear what is said by those in the room with the host. Hosts, try not to ignore the Zoom participants. You can advise remote participants to speak up when they have questions or comments. Another option for the host is to be sure to scan the participant screen(s) regularly so you know who has something to say when they raise their hand.
Try to get into the rhythm of the meeting. Some hosts will acknowledge speakers and say the order they will speak. That allows everyone to listen because they know they will have a chance to speak when it’s their turn. Sometimes two people will speak up at once. Be the courteous one and back down. Simply say, “Sorry, you go.”
You may think there are some disadvantages of Zoom meetings. With your awareness, you won’t be the one contributing to the poor meeting experience.