A recent infographic caught my eye about how the Internet is allegedly ruining our brains. In particular, I was struck by the idea that while technology allows us to be more efficient with easy multitasking, the constant demands we’re making on our brains is contributing to stress and creating a drain on creativity!
We’re all guilty of it. Be honest: how many tabs do you have open right now in your browser? How many applications are running? How many times, while reading this post, have you glanced at your inbox? As a technology geek, it honestly never occurred to me that being able to do more things in more ways could be a detriment to my performance. After all, multitasking is simply part of doing business in an always-connected world where information is shared instantly.
So how do we deal with this problem? It’s clearly not a simple matter of less tabs and applications; the frustration of constantly having to reopen a frequently used program or website certainly won’t help that stress issue. What we really need is software that provides an opportunity, or even a place where we can maintain connectivity while shutting out the stress and noise of two monitors filled to the brim with tabs and programs.
The other day, my monthly subscription to The Atlantic arrived with a cover story suggesting an idea I’m sure you’ve contemplated, but that we as a society are all tiptoeing around. Is Facebook making us lonely? Studies suggest that it can.
In The Atlantic article, writer Stephen Marche interviews the world’s leading expert on loneliness, John Cacioppo, who discovered that the way you use Facebook determines whether the site – and social media in general – improves or harms your social life.
Marche wrote, “In one experiment, Cacioppo looked for a connection between the loneliness of subjects and the relative frequency of their interactions via Facebook, chat rooms, online games, dating sites and face-to-face contact. The results were unequivocal. ‘The greater the proportion of face-to-face interactions, the less lonely you are,’ he says. ‘The greater the proportion of online interactions, the lonelier you are.’”
More and more, sales professionals are using video conferencing technology like iMeet to get results with the online sales call. Here are some of the most common questions I get from salespeople who are thinking about improving their sales by getting face-to-face with their prospects online:
1. Q: How does PGi train its own sales reps to use iMeet?
A: Our reps live and breathe with the application. We record our online training sessions and review video presentations with sales leaders.
2. Q: Can you use iMeet with social media tools and social networks?
A: Absolutely. Once I have my room in iMeet, I can post it anywhere. I can invite prospects via LinkedIn or Twitter.
3. Q: Can iMeet share documents?
A: Yes. A file cabinet is part of your iMeet meeting room. You can put PowerPoint and video in your file cabinet and bring them to any video meeting.
4. Q: How many people can be on an iMeet video call?
A: At one time, 15 guests can be live with streaming video. They can collaborate and build relationships throughout the sales cycle, not just at the beginning and end. Instead of having phone calls and exchanging emails in between quarterly in-person meetings, all you have to do is send out a link to whoever you want in your video conversation.
5. Q: Is iMeet in other countries?
A: We are in 12 countries now and expect to increase that number.
6. Q: Does iMeet integrate with CRM?
A: Not yet, but we expect to by the end of 2012.
7. Q: Does iMeet charge for video time?
A: You get unlimited video and audio for $69 per user per month with iMeet. Price breaks begin at five users, and there are discounts for annual and multi-year deals.
Konnichiwa and greetings from Tokyo! Nowhere else have I found a culture so strongly dedicated to efficiency, commerce and technology - From futuristic robots to loos smarter than most humans and the world’s largest broadcasting tower, Tokyo’s got it covered.
Over the past 10 months on the road, visiting PGi’s 30+ global offices, I have used PGi’s virtual meeting solutions, iMeet® and GlobalMeet®, to join meetings, present important ideas, on-board new team members and keep rapport with my stakeholders. Unlike most enterprise technology, I use iMeet and GlobalMeet because they’re browser-based so it’s quick and easy to start the meeting . They’re also simple and let the meeting be about my guests, not features.
After almost two years of using the products to break down communication barriers at work, I’ve started using them “at home.” Recently, I took my accountant through a few tax documents thanks to GlobalMeet’s screen share and recorded the meeting for my husband to review afterwards. I’ve also been able to make an appearance at my friend’s wedding and share a few words during her rehearsal dinner via iMeet.
GlobalMeet Brings Me Face-to-Face with My Accountant 5K Miles Away
The same technology I use to join my Monday morning status call is my technology of choice for connecting with friends and family. Most knowledge workers are familiar with the rise of consumer technology in the workplace – multimedia, mobility and social networking . However, similar to the BYOD trend, my personal technology choices are taking notes from my 9-to-5 and influencing the technology I bring home.
While abroad this year, I’ve met new babies, congratulated the newly engaged and even approved my mom’s sofa choice through the same technology I use to take my team through an Excel sheet. I believe that this convergence is an indicator of technology that is easy to use and dare I say fun.
Have you used enterprise technology in your personal life? Which business technology will find its way into the consumer marketplace next?
You’ve heard from other PGi bloggers about how iMeet can revolutionize the interviewing and hiring process, bringing the right talent to the right position regardless of the location of either. I’m here to present a personal perspective of just how much better an iMeet interview can be.
While interviewing for my new job at PGi, I had three interviews for a position in Atlanta, Georgia, over 500 miles away from where I was currently living in St. Louis, Missouri. I met with a total of eight different interviewers located across the country and across the globe, ranging from Montana to Hong Kong!
Sure Beats the Drive
All of that virtual globetrotting was as simple as entering a web address, thanks to the flexibility and ease-of-use of iMeet.
This is Part III of a three-part blog post about effective nonverbal communication during online meetings and video chats. Read Part I and Part II.
While it’s hard to gauge prospects’ true reactions and respond appropriately on the phone or over email, video eliminates the guesswork. When you see someone’s face and hear their voice, less is lost in translation. Successful sales people use this additional information to deliver a more compelling message, overcome objections, and get prospects to say yes—quickly and decisively.
Before each video sales call, take a few minutes to review these 6 principles.
Remind yourself to mirror and match. For instance, if your customer is more reserved, relax your tone of voice and lower your pitch to show you’re on the same wavelength. You’ll know your sales call is going well when they start to mirror your body language in return.
Pay attention to volume, pace, and pitch. You can use your tone as a powerful tool to focus others’ attention on what you want. I recommend nailing this down by practicing your pitch out loud.
Your eyes are your window to the sell. Turn on your webcam for a minute or two, and practice looking directly into the
PGi’s employees take “reduce, reuse, recycle” to a whole new level this year by bringing more green to their work- and home-lives.
From break room composting to commuting on vegetable oil, here are five different practices the PGi team is following to reduce their environmental footprint.
Go Green in the Office:
Compost Break Room Leftovers: Alex from PGi’s EMEA headquarters in Clonakilty, Ireland saw an opportunity to give new life to his coworkers’ old food scraps. Instead of throwing lunch remains in the break room trash, associates will soon be able to dispose of their sandwich crusts, leftovers and old fruit and vegetables in a special container. Alex plans on taking each week’s organic waste to a neighborhood compost where it can then used to super-charge their community garden.
Ditch the Notepad and Take Electronic Notes: Michael from PGi’s Melbourne office is cutting down on paper this year by bringing his note taking to the cloud. Instead of dragging around his notebook, Michael uses Evernote to keep track of his meetings and stay up to speed on new projects. Aside from saving paper, Evernote allows him to access his notes even away from his computer or an internet connection thanks to the Evernote apps on his phone, iPad and in his iMeet room.
Go Green at Home
Switch to Biodegradable Diapers: Might sound strange, but it’s true! Biodegradable diapers are now on the market and just in time for Allen from PGi’s Chicago office’s new arrival. As opposed to using reusable or just regular diapers, Allen and his wife did their research and decided that biodegradable ones were for them. Allen believes that teaching children how to be kind to the environment starts at a young age.
The clock rolls over to midnight on Friday the 13th. It is a dark and stormy night.
(Unless, of course, you’re Cora Rodenbusch, in which case it’s a perpetually gorgeous afternoon outside the Sydney office.)
A sound from downstairs jolts me awake, interrupting terrible nightmares of long commutes, high gas prices and boring, impersonal meetings. A cold sweat forms on the back of my neck as I hear the sound again. I did lock the door, right? I’m sure I did. I reach for the nearest blunt object and tiptoe down the hall to take a peek.
The downstairs is bathed in a grey light. Flashes of green appear for a moment and then vanish. Strange, crystal-clear voices drift eerily upstairs. I grip the makeshift weapon tighter, steel my nerves and make my way downstairs. Sorry, Employee of the Month award. You might be in for a rough night.
I hold my breath as I turn the corner into the living room. A sudden scraaaatch at the window whirls me around, but it’s only branches in the wind. Branches I was supposed to trim yesterday, but a long day of meetings followed by rush hour traffic caused the dreaded loveseat to claim another victim.
Lightning cracks, illuminating the home office for an instant, and suddenly all is revealed. The voices, the grey light, the green flashes, all confirming the truth that, somehow, I already knew.
The meeting was coming…from inside the house.
Do you have a Friday the 13th meeting nightmare? Share your thoughts on the PGi blog!
(Thanks to PGi’s own Kim Casey for the awesome cartoon panels!)
Did you know you exchange approximately 800 nonverbal messages during the average 30-minute sales call?
Every salesperson should have at least a rudimentary grasp of how to use body language to support your sale. (If not, check out these body language sales basics, such as eye contact, use of hands, posture, etc.).
The trick with online meetings is that you don’t have the entire body to work with. Your webcam focuses on your head and perhaps your torso. That means making eye contact with your camera, relaxing your shoulders, and bringing your hands into view to emphasize certain points.
Begin with a Smile. There’s nothing revolutionary about this concept, but we often forget to do what we know. By starting online meetings with a smile, you amp up your tone of voice, upgrade your appearance, and communicate confidence. You’re much more likely to forge a quick connection with the other people in your meeting.
Maintain an Open Body Position. Open and expressive movements invite collaborative communication. Sit up straight, and avoid leaning too far back in your chair. Hold your arms away from your body to avoid looking defensive. However, if you notice your prospect responds by pulling back, try to be more subtle with your gestures.
Eye Contact = Bulls Eye. As you and your prospect communicate, focus your gaze directly on the camera. Eye contact is a key element for building trust. Even a brief look away could send the message that you’re not listening, and derail your sale.
When PGi’s Damian Martina realized a flight delay would put him in Brisbane just minutes before his big presentation, he looked to iMeet®’s mobility suite to keep business moving at the speed of light.
Last month, Australia/New Zealand Sales Director and tech enthusiast Damian Martina scheduled a sales presentation to take place a few hours after he was scheduled to land in Brisbane. Instead of cancelling the meeting due to a last minute flight delay, Damian took iMeet®’s new iPad app for a test drive and showed his prospects what it really means to take your business on the road.
How To Host A Video Conference From a Taxi
As soon as the plane landed, Damian collected his bags and quickly turned his phone into a walking WiFi hotspot by activating his tethering app. After connecting his iPad to his phone’s WiFi signal, he opened up his room in the iMeet iPad app, loaded his presentation and asked the meeting to dial out to him. With the room open and his audio and webcam running, he confidently waited in the taxi line for his guests to arrive.
He even had a few minutes to take questions from an unexpected audience. The curious glances from those around him led to several impromptu demos with onlookers asking, “Are you really on video right now?” and “What’s it called again?”
Once in the taxi, Damian was able to flip through the pages of his presentation, convey points “in person” via the video stream and carry on with the meeting, all at 60km/h.
“My guests couldn’t believe that I was really in a taxi. I had to turn my iPad around so they could see where I was.”
Damian remarks, “Just a few months ago something like this would not have been possible. Today, I find that I can do 90% of my work remotely. Thanks to iMeet, I don’t have to delay business because of my location.”
Just recently I met Damian in person at PGi’s Asia-Pac headquarters in Sydney. I congratulated him on making his meeting come together despite his circumstances – I know how unpredictable life on the road can be! He laughed and said that it wasn’t difficult at all. The app made it easy to start the meeting and pull up his files. And because his guests already had his room name, he didn’t need to dial out to his guests or circulate length dial-in details providing for a stress-free meeting.
As for his video appearance, he said it left quite the impression on his guests.
Want your own iMeet room? Sign up for a 30-day free trial today. For those in Asia Pacific, learn more about the Asia-Pac iMeet pilot program by emailing your interest to APStrategyandMarketing@pgi.com.
Have you needed to run a meeting outside the office? What advice would you give to a novice mobile worker?
A recent infographic caught my eye about how the Internet is allegedly ruining our brains. In particular, I was struck by the idea that while technology allows us to be more efficient with easy multitasking, the constant demands we’re making on our brains is contributing to stress and creating a drain on creativity!
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