How video conferencing solutions (like PGi‘s iMeet) leverage the power of interpersonal communication, help sales reps rapidly forge prospect relationships, and drive business results.

Have you noticed the proliferation of body language experts on the news and TV talk shows? It’s become a form of entertainment to analyze whether people’s expressions and gestures reinforce or contradict their words—and it validates my opinion that when it comes to sales, we need to get back to the basics.

Regardless of the product or service, people buy from people they know, like and trust. Salespeople need to build rapport with their prospects to empower those prospects to trust them. Because when rapport exists, customers work with rather than against the sales process. They become your advocate rather than your adversary.

As simple as this sounds, it’s extremely difficult to do if your primary modes of customer interaction are the phone and via e-mail. Studies tell us that up to 93% of communication is non-verbal. When you can’t see those non-verbal cues, you’re likely to have—as the prison warden in Cool Hand Luke said—a failure to communicate. And that leads to a lack of rapport.

While it’s easiest to build relationships in face-to-face conversations, the realities of today’s business environment can’t be ignored. In-person sales calls are time-consuming, costly and often resisted by customers. But when you can’t be in the same room with your prospect, video conferencing tools are the next best thing—and maybe even better. Face-to-face meetings are the meetings of the future. Here’s why:

• Video allows both you and your prospect to make eye contact and see each other’s facial expressions and body language—that non-verbal communication goes so far beyond mere words.

• Video increases focus and attention to the discussion at hand. A prospect is much less likely to multitask when in front of a web cam than on a phone call.

• Video encourages rapport-building techniques such as mirroring and matching in your expressions and body language.

• Video allows multiple decision-makers and influencers to participate from their own offices. In addition to being a time- and money-saver, you’ll gain insight into their actual working environment. This will help you better customize your solutions.

• Video enables a range of visual demonstrations, from the simple (“I caught a fish this big”) to showing how a product actually operates.

All of this leads to a level of rapport that surpasses commodity with genuine relationship. It upgrades you from a salesperson to a partner and trusted advisor in the customer’s mind.

And with a little planning, maybe you could even do lunch.

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Thanks to Selling Power, Seth Godin, Susan Heithfield, Tonya Reiman, and Value Selling for information used in this post.

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Would you like to talk live and learn more about iMeet? Join me for a live Q&A session in my iMeet room on Wednesday 8/3 from 4:00-4:30 EST.