A Great Sales Tool No One’s Using
Listen and learn. It’s one of those things that people preach but most don’t practice. Yet it’s one of the simplest and most effective sales techniques out there.
Think about the last call you received from a telemarketer. I bet the other person on the line waited for you to say that yes, you were the person in charge and then they were off and running. Because telemarketers know that as soon as they give you time to respond, you’ll have time to say “No.”
Don’t you just hate that? Yet so many of us in sales and business act the exact same way in a face to face meeting.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my career as an entrepreneur and small business consultant, it’s that all too often no one listens in meetings. People just wait silently until it’s their turn to speak.
How many of you go out to meet a new prospect and just listen? I mean, really listen. As in, focus totally on what the other person is saying – not just with their words but with their body language, the pitch of their voice – and try to understand what’s important to them.
Are they having a bad day? Maybe you should ask how things are and empathize a little. They’ll remember that you cared. Are they fidgeting? Maybe they have a tight schedule and need to be somewhere else, or maybe they’re just bored. Wrap things up and don’t waste their time.
No one wants to buy from a telemarketer because they’re not offering anything we’re interested in. And we’re not interested because they don’t know what’s important to us – they haven’t listened.
Here are 3 good questions to ask yourself to make sure you’re actually listening -
- Talk less than the person you’re talking to.
- Ask more questions.
- Talk less than the person you’re talking to. (It bears repeating.)
Bottom line – listening is key to establishing a good relationship with a (potential) client. So shut up already.
