skill
The Good Listener
Eight steps to positive listening skills that can improve your sales ABNER LITTEL
“Selling is telling.” That’s commonly accepted as truth. Salespeople often think of themselves as being good talkers instead of good listeners. But the truth is that more than 50 percent of selling is about listening rather than talking. Most people, though, view the speaker as the one
who’s in control of a conversation, and see listening as the passive side of the conversation. One of the most signifi- cant ways to increase your sales performance, however, is listening. Learn to listen to your client and take a break from being the speaker. The better your listening skills, the more closing opportunities you will hear. Unfortunately, many salespeople are never ade- quately trained to listen. The following eight steps will start you on your way to becoming a better listener in a sales situation.
10 | NOVEMBER 2015 SELLING POWER © 2015 SELLING POWER. CALL 1-800-752-7355 FOR REPRINT PERMISSION.
1. REPEAT AND CLARIFY INFORMATION One-way communication loses a great deal of informa- tion. This is common in sales and frequently results in misunderstandings. Two-way communication is much better. Work with your client in trying to put the most information to use in the best possible way.
A deeper facet of communication, congruency, is also important. Congruency provides two-way communication through interaction between the speaker and the listener, because the listener learns to listen to the emotions to reach a point of trust with the speaker.
Many salespeople deal with the same types of people day in and day out. In order to achieve congruency, repeat and clarify information and also summarize points for your
When reps listen more, they sell more
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