Angela Bradford of World Financial Group On Mastering the Art of Remote Selling in a Post-Pandemic World
An Interview With Chad Silverstein
The first strategy that comes to mind is being real and vulnerable. I just had a meeting with someone and the person learning and listening was surprised that the person I was selling to was interested in more information. One of the ways I connected with them was talking about some medical things that we both had going on. It makes someone seem more real and relevant as opposed to just someone random.
The global pandemic has forever altered the landscape of sales, propelling us into the era of remote selling. Today, businesses and sales professionals face the challenge of connecting with clients and closing deals without the traditional in-person interactions. Mastering the art of remote selling has become not just an advantage but a necessity. From leveraging technology and digital tools to building trust and rapport over virtual platforms, the skills required for effective remote selling are evolving. I had the pleasure of interviewing Angela Bradford.
Angela is a Senior Marketing Director with World Financial Group. Within just over eight years of transitioning from the blue collar world of trucking and training horses, to the white collar world of finances and training people, she has opened multiple offices and is expanding fast in two countries. She has an amazing team working with her and has the goal of having a Senior Partner in every state and province in North America within the next 10 years.
Thank you for joining us. To start, could you share your “origin story” with our readers? How did you begin your career? What challenges did you face in the early days? How did you overcome them?
I was driving truck over the road for many years and then that industry slowed down. This caused me to look for other opportunities and into other positions. I was introduced to World Financial Group then and I saw that I could get into a brand-new career without much risk, so I thought “why not,” and I decided to try and go for it. I would give it my best and see… I am incredibly grateful I made that decision and haven’t looked back.
One of the biggest challenges I faced when I began this new career was talking to people. I was homeschooled, introverted and had always done jobs where I didn’t really need to talk to people on a regular basis. Now I needed to talk to people all the time every day.
I overcame this challenge through a decision that I was going to win complete freedom for my family through World Financial Group. Almost every day I went out and talked to people wherever I could find them. At first the results were not good, to say the least, but the more I talked to people the better they became.
We can decide to overcome almost anything as humans. We just have to make the decision.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Besides the Bible, I would say the book “the Circle Maker” by Mark Batterson has had the biggest impact on my life. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2019 and that year I went to spend New Years by myself. I took that book along as it was recommended to me, and it’s about the power of prayer.
I realized I had big dreams and goals, but I was hoping to do them all within my own power. The book made me realize that in my ‘weakness’ I have a greater strength surrounding me. Since then, I have worked at stepping into a higher power instead of just my own power. Interestingly enough, our business grew 167% the next year!
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
My favorite quote is “things happen for us not to us.” I was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) in 2019. I had to decide if that was going to slow me down or if I was going to use it for fuel to grow faster. I knew that it was given to me for a purpose, and I used it for fuel to grow myself and my business. I knew it happened for me not to me.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
Giving to charity is something I have been able to do more and more of. I use my reach on social platforms also to help others in their times of struggle.
Ok, let’s now turn to the central part of our interview. In your experience, how has the transition to remote selling altered the traditional sales cycle, and what strategies have proven most effective in closing deals virtually?
This is such a great question! I’m not sure how much it has altered the traditional sales cycle, but I will say that things are moving a lot faster now than they used to before the virtual options. You can meet up with someone in the morning and could meet back up with them in the evening with a spouse and move forward as opposed to sometimes waiting days, weeks, or months before someone’s available to meet up again.
The most effective thing to virtual sales is building connection fast. Learning how to watch your body language and reading your face so that they can connect with them on video calls and with lots of regular calls so voice is used not just text or email.
In what ways do you believe technology will continue to shape the future of remote selling, and what tools should sales professionals be focusing on?
I believe that there’s going to be a lot more technology going forward. AI would be 1 area that I suggest sales professionals focus on learning more about. It can help with how to talk to people and it can help with building connection ideas. Another tool would be utilizing in person meetups whenever possible to set you apart from everyone that is remote.
How can sales teams maintain and build rapport with clients in a fully remote environment, especially when face-to-face interactions are limited?
This is another great question! Phone calls as well as texting frequently so you stay top of mind. Handwritten letters or handwritten birthday cards are something I have done also and they work well.
Amazon delivers directly and easily so that is another option for more connection.
Can you share a story of a challenge you faced in adapting to remote selling, and how you overcame it?
One of the challenges in remote selling is connection. I helped overcome some of this by studying how to connect with people via online platforms. Leaning back and leaning forward according to what they’re doing for instance is one way to mirror and match them which builds connection. Energy needs to be a lot higher when you’re online to be able to get the energy through the screen. Helping them feel that you’re beside them instead of thousands of miles away by connecting and really listening are a couple ways to overcome some of the challenges of remote selling.
Can you share a success story of a remote sale that exemplified innovative tactics or approaches in the post-pandemic world?
For sure I can! I remember when we went from in person selling to zoom and I remember sitting with a perspective client who I was introduced to by somebody else and me explaining how we could get their money working better for them, and them deciding to move it. I thought it was so crazy that someone would trust someone they never met to look after all of their investments. I knew I was trustworthy, but I never knew how it was portrayed to a complete stranger.
I was real and not in a hurry and I think those were two secrets to that sale.
Here is our main question. Could you list and briefly explain “5 Key Strategies for Mastering the Art of Remote Selling” based on your experiences and insights? If you can, please share a story or example for each.
1 . The first strategy that comes to mind is being real and vulnerable. I just had a meeting with someone and the person learning and listening was surprised that the person I was selling to was interested in more information. One of the ways I connected with them was talking about some medical things that we both had going on. It makes someone seem more real and relevant as opposed to just someone random.
2 . Second strategy would be to mirror and match. Basically what I mean by this, is when they lean forward, you lean forward. When they cross their arms, you cross your arms. If they are high energy, you are high energy. I’m always watching what I look like on the zoom screen to see if I would do business with me and that I don’t look grumpy or anything like that.
3 . The third strategy is being able to share your own personal stories about the product that you’re selling. I’m able to show my own investments with the companies I’m recommending, as well as sharing personal examples with my own insurance products. It’s hard to sell something that you don’t believe in enough to have yourself.
4 . Fourth strategy is asking lots of questions. Find out their hot buttons and what it is that makes them tick. Find out what it is about the product that can solve their problem. I have people that say they “want to think it over.” Normally that means they’re just not sure on things, so I make sure to dig into what they aren’t sure about before they ever leave the zoom call. Once they leave you can’t answer their questions. A confused mind makes no decisions.
5 . The 5th and final strategy is to keep learning about sales with an obsession about getting better. I listen to and read lots of tactics on closing and helping people make the best decision. When I don’t close a sale, I analyze what I could do differently for the next time and learn from the experience.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
The movement I am working toward is empowering women to become their amazing selves and help change the world. I want to encourage and inspire women to rise up and use their voices to make the impact in the world for the good that I know we can make together.
As we wrap up, how can our readers follow your work?
I am on all social media platforms under realangelabradford. I also have a podcast called “One Starfish with Angela Bradford”.
Thank you for offering such valuable insights into the art of remote selling. We wish you continued success.
About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein is a seasoned entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience as a Founder and CEO. While attending Ohio State University, he launched his first company, Choice Recovery, Inc., a nationally recognized healthcare collection agency — twice ranked the #1 workplace in Ohio. In 2013, he founded [re]start, helping thousands of people find meaningful career opportunities. After selling both companies, Chad shifted his focus to his true passion — leadership. Today, he coaches founders and CEOs at Built to Lead, advises Authority Magazine’s Thought Leader Incubator.
Angela Bradford of World Financial Group On Mastering the Art of Remote Selling in a Post-Pandemic… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.