Sales Negotiation Training & Customer Service Training | The Importance of Effective Listening S
Listening in sales requires the equivalent of a zoom lens. Effective listening is not the same as efficient listening. Effective listening enables you to show interest, connect with the customer, and gain a fuller understanding of the customer’s needs.
Most salespeople listen efficiently. They listen to what they think is important. They listen with an ear to talk vs. absorb and assess. While a small percentage of salespeople may zone out, most salespeople do listen efficiently—they pay enough attention to stay active in the dialogue. Listening effectively goes beyond this. Effective listeners not only stay in the dialogue but also pay attention with a high level of intensity. They listen to all content and also observe the tone of voice, pacing, and emphasis. They maintain good eye contact and/or acknowledge. They listen with an ear to question and integrate. They observe body language and test the customer’s verbal message against what they read. Their follow-up questions tell the customer they are listening. They are sensitive to the messages they communicate with their own body language.
Another way they show they are listening is by taking notes accordingly of all key important information. Taking notes seems to be a lost art, but great notes are essential to truly customizing solutions and are invaluable in creating winning proposals and following up flawlessly.
Listening is one of the six critical sales skills essential to an effective sales dialogue. In fact, when we ask top salespeople about their sales skills and how they sell, the majority rate listening as their strongest sales skill.
Ambiguous words can hold the key to understanding the customer’s needs and criteria for making decisions. Listen for words or ideas to explore or clarify to avoid talking at cross-purposes. By clarifying what broad words mean and getting more information, you can tailor how you discuss your solutions to transform what could have been a generic response to a tailored and persuasive one.
For example, if a customer says, “Frankly, I was pretty impressed with your competitor,” you can gain invaluable information if you ask, “I know you were speaking to X. What impressed you, specifically?” If the customer says, “It’s too rich for us,” ask, “Rich? How so?” If the customer says, “I have hesitations about X,” ask, “I know you want to feel comfortable going forward. What’s causing you to hesitate?” If a customer says, “You are not consistent,” acknowledge and find out in what ways. Impressed, rich, hesitations, and consistent are words to clarify.
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