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Are You Listening

Written by: Riley Cardwell

Article Overview: Why is listening so important? Find out why champion salespeople listen far more than they talk.

Are You Listening

Think back to when you were in grade school. When called upon, you were expected to be ready with an answer for the teacher. As children, we were trained by our parents and teachers to be answer oriented. Always have an answer. It was not good; we were told, to not know the answer.

Today, most sales courses teach the same by encouraging us to speak about benefits of our products or services.

So when two people meet in a sales or business interaction, both are focused primarily on themselves. Both are thinking about what they want to say to the other person. And both are focused on what they want out of the meeting.

So who’s listening? Nobody.

Most sales people are so busy talking to get what they want, and most prospects are so busy talking about what they want, there’s no one left to listen.

So how much should we be listening versus speaking? Ever notice that humans have two ears but only one mouth? That means we should be listening twice as much as we speak. Yet, most of us have been trained to be good talkers, but poor listeners.

So here’s the secret - if you want to become the world’s best sales person, become the world’s best listener.

Since a lot of people have trouble making up their minds about most anything, sales, properly done, is helping someone make the decision that you know is in their best interest to make.

This also means that if your product or service doesn’t fit, you tell them. Then move on to the next person for whom it will be a good fit.

So what should we be listening for? People’s problems. They are the keys to the sale. Stop talking long enough to listen to your prospects complaints. Then listen some more.

At some point, of course, you’ll want to speak. When you do, a good way to talk about the benefits of your product or service is by asking questions rather than stating the benefits.

People are far more inclined to listen if you’re asking them questions rather than making statements. And you can still convey all the benefits to them about your product or service. Just phrase them as questions.

Instead of saying, “my product will enhance your time management,” ask, “if I could show you how my product will allow you to have more time each day, would you be willing to give it a try?”

If you just listen, your clients are far more likely to buy. Give it a try. You’ll be surprised at what you hear.

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  LISTENING SKILLS IN COACHING
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Re: How do I find a direct mail list of potential customers - Hi WhyNot, Is it possible there are websites about the Federal Government. It needs to delve into it to find the key person. Listening for once to the news could pinpoint who is really in charge of this department. I wish you wisdom to connect with the right people. Nothing is too difficult, if you put your mind to it. Maybe some one else has a supportive idea.
Re: How to Get Over Your Fear of Failure, Make Every Second Coun - Hi Evan, I've just been listening to a couple of your MTM videos while packing parcels. I especially enjoyed this one on JKR. Listening to stuff like this while packing orders is one of my better ways of "making every second count!"
Ideas on Using Twitter for Business - 1. Build an account and immediate start using Twitter Search to listen for your name, your competitor's names, words that relate to your space. (Listening always comes first.) 2. Add a picture. ( Shel reminds us of this.) We want to see you. 3. Talk to people about THEIR interests, too. I know this doesn't sell more widgets, but it shows us you are human. 4. Point out interesting things in your space, not just about you. 5. Share links to neat things in your community. ( wholefoods does this well). 6. Don't get stuck in the apology loop. Be helpful instead. ( jetblue gives travel tips.) 7. Be wary of always pimping your stuff. Your fans will love it. Others will tune out. 8. Promote your employees outside-of-work stories. ( TheHomeDepot does it well.) 9. Throw in a few humans, like RichardAtDELL, LionelAtDELL, etc. 10. Talk about non-business,
Re: Ideas on Using Twitter for Business - [quote="evieparsons":2o69rd2a]1. Build an account and immediate start using Twitter Search to listen for your name, your competitor's names, words that relate to your space. (Listening always comes first.) 2. Add a picture. ( Shel reminds us of this.) We want to see you. 3. Talk to people about THEIR interests, too. I know this doesn't sell more widgets, but it shows us you are human. 4. Point out interesting things in your space, not just about you. 5. Share links to neat things in your community. ( wholefoods does this well). 6. Don't get stuck in the apology loop. Be helpful instead. ( jetblue gives travel tips.) 7. Be wary of always pimping your stuff. Your fans will love it. Others will tune out. 8. Promote your employees outside-of-work stories. ( TheHomeDepot does it well.) 9. Throw in a few humans, like RichardAtDELL, LionelAtDELL, etc. 10. Talk about non-business,[/quote:2o69rd2a] Hey thanks for these tips. Basically, help others in your market out and build relationships with people. Be someone who gives, not takes. I'll keep them in mind if I go back to social media marketing. I'm currently in the SEO phase of my business.


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