Shut Up and Sell More
Victor Antonio
Keynote Speaker and Author - "Sales Ex Machina”, Relationship Selling" & "Mastering the Upsell | Hall of Fame Sales Speaker |
We were given 2 ears and 1 mouth- they should be used in that ratio.
The 5 Do’s and 3 Don'ts of listening to your clients. It’s not a secret that if a client likes more and trusts you more than the competition, they’re more likely to buy from you. Listening effectively is crucial to building a positive rapport and future relationship.
The 5 Do's of Listening
Listen to Understand, Don’t Listen To Respond
We wait for our time to shine in a conversation, instead of taking a moment to understand and hear what the client has to say. Maybe you’re thinking of something witty to say, hurry the conversation along, or make a counterpoint, but the client can tell when someone is truly listening to what they're saying.
Ask Clarification and Confirmation Questions
Reaffirm what they are saying by asking “So what you’re saying is ….” Or “Would it be correct to assume that ….”
Clarification and confirmation of not only how you are thinking but also how the client is thinking. This allows you to synchronize with the customer and show that you understand what they are saying.
Pause and Reflect
Too often we feel like we have to respond right away - that’s a mistake. By taking a moment to pause shows that you’re actually listening. It shows that you are really considering what they’re thinking and giving it some thought, as well as giving yourself some time to think about how you want to phrase your response.
Body Language
Listening is about body language- it’s a visual form of listening. For example, crossed arms mean they’re not listening. Conversely, when they’re leaning forward they’re engaged. We might intuitively know some obvious body language signs, but to pick up on more nuanced body language, I recommend these two books:
The Definitive Book of Body Language- Barbara Pease and
What Every Body Is Saying – Joe Navarro
Open Ended and Empathetic Questions
Closed-ended questions just require confirmation – yes or no questions, essentially.
Open-ended questions invite conversation “Can you tell me more about that” or “How did you deal with that when that happened.
In asking open-ended, empathetic questions, you’re letting them know that you care about what they think and you care about their opinion.
When someone cares about their opinion, the customer feels validated
When they feel validated they feel good about themselves
And finally, when they feel good about themselves, they associate that good feeling with you.In general, use the 80/20 Rule. 80% of the time the spotlight should be on them, and 20% of the time you should be talking.
3 Don’ts
“I knew that already”
When someone tells you something (even if you already knew), this is the worst response you could give because, after a while, they’ll stop volunteering information.
Stepping on Conversation
Sometimes we’re so eager to jump into the conversation, we step all over their sentence.
When someone finishes making a point, statement or opinion you respond with “Yes but…”
No Buts
By saying that, you’ve just negated everything that they just said. Make a small tweak, while still being able to insert your opinion with “Yes, AND…” You'll show that you value what was just said as part of a conversation.
Remember, the stereotype of the fast talking sales person is outdated. Start listening and your customers will start to trust and respect you much more than if you had commandeered the conversation.
-Victor Antonio
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Director, Disha Publication | Best Seller Author | Study Skills and Habit Coach
8 年well thought inputs
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8 年Your first point, Victor, as relates to Listening, in my opinion is so important and, yet, lacking way too often. In my experiences, I find that too many people confuse 'hearing' with 'listening.' Hearing is simply the act of perceiving sound by the ear. If you are not hearing-impaired, hearing simply happens. Listening, however . . . now THAT is a skill . . . it's something you consciously choose to do. Listening requires concentration so that your brain processes meaning from words and sentences. Listening leads to learning. Most people tend to be "hard of listening" rather than "hard of hearing."