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Two Amazingly Simple Actions to Increase Sales

Written by: Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Article Overview: Probably, the least used action within the sales skills of most sales people are these two. Even with all the articles, the books on improving sales expertise, far too many sales professional fail to master these two critical sales skills. Interested, read on.

Two Amazingly Simple Actions to Increase Sales

Probably, the least used actions within the sales skills of most sales people are these two. Even with all the articles, the books on improving sales expertise, far too many sales professional fail to master these two critical sales skills.

Before I share with you these amazingly simple actions, I would like you to reflect upon your most recent experience at any business networking event. Did you have the opportunity to speak with anyone? What happened? Were you sharing what you do with someone? And even when the other person was talking, were you thinking about that next person you wanted to me or listening to the person standing next to you, but talking with someone else?

In the move The Thirteenth Warrior, Antonio Banderas made an interesting statement when we was asked how he came to know the Northmen's language. His reply was I listened. What he did was actively listened to this foreign language. Between the body language along with the para-verbal from syntax to volume to speed, he opened his ears and learned this language. (Note: In foreign language studies this is called immersion.)

How many salespeople truly listen to the person across the table? Are their eyes actively engaged in learning more about this person without any predetermined agenda? How authentic are their actions?

Later in this same movie, Antonio asks a Northmen what should he do? He receives this curt reply, Shut Your Teeth. By shutting your teeth, you cannot speak. One of my colleagues, David Herdlinger, once said "If you are telling, you ain’t selling." Beyond the poor grammar, David is quite right. When sales professionals are so busy spewing what I call the 3 Ps virus of price, product and proposal, they talk themselves right out of a sale.

Not speaking, closing the teeth, does not necessarily mean that the active listening skills have been engaged. Yet, what would happen if you closed your teeth and actually listened to that other person? What could you discover?

Of course, this might be a little easier if you left the traditional sales based marketing approach behind in the 20th century and embraced the education based marketing approach. When you are educating, you need to close your teeth and open your ears to listen to the responses of your potential qualified customers (a.k.a. qualified prospects).

Sales Coaching Tip: Close your teeth, open your ears and your sales will increase. Who knows, you may actually learn something in the process.

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Article Tags: active listening skills, antonio banderas, body language, business networking, colleagues, critical sales, curt reply, ears, foreign language, immersion, improving sales, language note, language studies, networking event, northmen, poor grammar, sales professionals, salespeople, teeth, thirteenth warrior



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