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The Customer Can't Say Yes When You Are Talking

Guest post by: Manny Nowak

Article Overview: It doesn't matter if you are selling a product, a concept or yourself. If you are sales person trying to sell the product or service, a husband/wife trying to convince your spouse, or an employee trying to convince your boss. The sooner we learn to shut up and listen, the faster we will get to the outcome we are looking for?

The Customer Can't Say Yes When You Are Talking

Great line from the Book, "How To Get To The Top" by Jeffrey J. Fox. "It is better to remain quiet and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt". Anonymous.

When are we going to learn the simple principle, "the person you are trying to persuade can't say yes when you are talking"?

It doesn't matter if you are selling a product, a concept or yourself. If you are sales person trying to sell the product or service, a husband/wife trying to convince your spouse, or an employee trying to convince your boss. The sooner we learn to shut up and listen, the faster we will get to the outcome we are looking for?

When you ask for the order (which you have to do), you then have to shut up and listen for the answer. Let the white space exist. Let the customer take time to think. Stop being in such a hurry to eliminate the silence. To many times the customer would have said yes, if only we had of given him/her time.

David Schwartz, the author of, "The Magic of Thinking Big" says:

"Big people monopolize the listening. Small people monopolize the talking."

Which are you doing. Today I want you to start to listen and let the other person talk. I want you to stop talking so much. Do you have any idea of how many people will actually sell themselves, if you will just let them talk. The problem with most sales people and really with most of us when we need to sell and idea, is we never let the other person talk. We are just to into it ourselves. Let them talk? Why? Just listening more will increase your success rate by over 50%. Go ahead and try it and then come back and tell me I am wrong.

Sales is about relationship building. How can we build a relationship if all we want to do is talk? Most great sales people understand that people buy from people they like. How many of us like someone who just can't shut up.

Former Chairman of Dana, Rene McPherson put it this way, "The way you stay fresh is you never stop traveling, you never stop listening. You never stop asking people what they think."

Guess what? That includes customers, employees, spouses, friends. Ask the question and then let them talk. Ask the question and then shut up and listen. Ask the question and really care about the answer. Learn to ask questions and shut up and listen. What a concept.

Listen long enough and you will get the outcome you are looking for. You will get the deal. You will make it happen. Just seems long enough is to long for most of us. Except those who get to outstanding. They seem to have great listening skills. What about you?

You see James said it very simply when he said, "Wherefore my beloved brethen, let everyman be

Swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

James 1:19

This week, on your way to outstanding, ask questions and then be swift to listen, slow to speak and slow to wrath. Watch what happens.

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Article Tags: leadership, listening, sales, sales management, sales person



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Book: Talking From 9 to 5 - Book: Talking From 9 to 5: How women's and men's conersational styles affect who gets heard, who gets credit, and what gets done at work Deborah Tannen, PhD 1994 You say something at a meeeting, it is ignored, then someone else says the same thing and everyone embraces it as a marvelous idea. You devote yourself to a project but don't get credit for the results. You work around the clock to avoid a crisis, but your efforts are not recognized because no one notices a crisis that never occurs. YOu give what you think are clear instructions, but the job is not done, or is done wrong. ... Work is a special world because as we talk to get our jobs done, we are also being evaluated. How we get others to do what we want, and how we accept or avoid responsibility for mistakes, display or challenge authority, reveal or conceal what we don't know -- all affect how we are regarded and rewarded. TOC 1. Women and Men Talking on the Job 2. "I'm sorry, I'm not apologizing": Conversational rituals 3. "Why don't you say what you mean?" Indirectness at work 4. Marked: Women in the workplace 5. The glass ceiling 6. "She's the boss": Women and authority 7. Talking up close: Status and connection 8. What's sex got to do with it 9. Who gets heard? Talking at meetings References Index
Re: Two Useful Books To Help You Focus On The CLIENT - Hi David, To add to your thread, I'd like to recommend Jonathan Tisch's "Chocolates On The Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience". Tisch's book includes content on "Welcoming Customers", "The New Art of Customization", "The Challenges of Customer Diversity" and "Offering Something Extra to Your Customers" to name a few.
Re: Paypal process $315 million in payments per day. - I agree with you David, their Customer relations suck. This mean other payment systems like 2CO and WORLDPAY should work on their customers relations to take more slice of the market.
Social Media Marketing Category... - I agree that a social media marketing category would be useful and added my vote. I would include "bookmarking" sites in the mix as well. Such a category would be useful for several reasons: 1. Talking about SMM, its purpose and networking strategies and tips. 2. Discussion of the various SMM sites. 3. New about new sites and developments. 4. Helping to build each others SMM networks.
Re: Welcome to Entrepreneur University! - Hi Evan and GT, Can you clarify? If you join the "Preferred Customer" you are not entitled to commission? Why? This is the the $79.95/month account, I don't understand why you are not getting commission from it?


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