Listening.
That’s right, whether outside sales, inside sales, sales development rep, business development rep, B2B sales, or “other” sales. I believe that listening is still the number one determining factor in sales success. You’ve heard the adage, “God gave you two ears and one mouth so you should listen twice as much as you speak.” This still rings true today, it’s a valuable statement and quite accurate.
Take note, listening to someone and hearing them are not the same. Hearing is simply to be aware of sounds, to know they exist. Listening, on the other hand, is to give your attention to sounds, such as a customer talking, and telling you their wants and needs. When you are listening to someone or something, you have to be deliberate, it takes action to give them your full attention. Listening is a skill that can be improved and learned. If you dedicate yourself to improving your listening, this one skill can have a significant impact on your sales results!
People that are your prospects, your potential customers or clients… they will tell you what you need to do so that they will make a purchase from you. You may have also heard this saying, “People love to buy, but they hate to be sold.” It’s because customers associate being sold with being taken advantage of. But, people love to buy things, they love to invest, they love to make purchases of items they need or want.
Many salespeople come to the table with their ego and their own agenda in mind.
We’ve been trained that the sales process is about us putting on the show. Do the talking, ask the questions, control the conversation and then you can make the deal. But, the customers buying process is not about you or your wants and needs, or about you making a sale. It’s about them, their wants and needs, their hopes and dreams.
Here are some things I do to show that I am actively listening when I’m working with customers.
- Ask to take notes. This tells the person on the other side what you are going to do. It shows that what they are telling you has value and that you see them as an important person. And, since you are asking permission, there are no surprises and they don’t have to wonder what you are doing, or what the agenda may be.
- Actually take notes. This act shows follow through. Even something so simple relays that you are the kind of person that will do what you say you will do.
- Repeat to your customer or client what you have written. This way, it allows you to repeat back to your customer or potential customer what you heard, in your own words and have clarity on both sides. If you don’t have a clear picture of what the customer is explaining, they have the opportunity to tell you that now.
- Look people in the eye. The eyes are telling. When you look into someone eyes, you can detect if they are being genuine and if their smile is real. Which means in turn eye contact leaves those clues or cues back to them as well. Eye contact can also become a powerful closing tool when you are asking for the sale later.
Focus on your customer and listen, then share how your product or service can truly best serve them. Listen and understand, then sell and they will be a participant in buying. It’s win-win.
Zig Ziglar said it best, “You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want.”