Successful Salespeople Love to Listen!
Adapted from the blog by Marlo M. Schalesky
“It takes the same amount of courage to sit down and listen as it does to stand up and speak.” Adapted from Winston Churchill
What makes a salesperson a good listener? First, he/she suspends his own assumptions in order to give the customer’s ideas priority. When he/she asks questions, it is to build trust and rapport with the customer. Open questions work best like "Tell me more about that."
Second, the good listener suspends judgment and debate. As Stephen Covey said “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Give the customer the benefit of the doubt. Rather than jumping in to disagree, the good listener first seeks to understand as much as possible about where the customer is coming from. Be patient and courageous when you listen, you may find out more to better solve the customer’s problem!
A good listener confirms to lets the customer know he or she has been understood. One way of doing this is paraphrasing: "Let me see if I have this right, George. You said that... Is that correct?" Confirming builds trust as it shows you care about what the customer has said and minimizes assumptions.
Finally, a good salesperson views customer relationships as healthy encounters. Thus he/she shows respect for each customer he/she talks to, even those with opinions different from his. Healthy relationships lead to mutually beneficial decisions to move the sale forward.
In contrast, certain salesperson behaviours are sure signals that the salesperson is not listening to the customer. Here are some common complaints about salespeople who are poor listeners.
As you read this list ask yourself “Do I have these poor listening behaviours?”
He doesn't give me a chance to talk.
Whenever I try to say something, he/she interrupts.
He/she never looks at me when I talk.
He/she continually fidgets with his/her pen, laptop ect. How can he/she do that and listen to me, too?
She/he asks questions as if she doubts everything I say.
Whenever I make a suggestion, she/he throws cold water on it.
He/she is always trying to get ahead of my story and guess my point, sometimes finishing sentences for me.
He/she begins arguing with me before I have a chance to finish making my point.
Everything I say reminds him/her of an experience he/she had or heard of recently.
She/he acts like she can't wait for me to stop talking so she can interject something about her/his product or service.
Whenever I have a good idea, she/he takes credit by saying something like, "Oh, yes, I've been thinking about that, too."
He/she overdoes being attentive and appears to be superficial—too many nods, mm-mms, or uh-huhs.
She/he makes jokes when I'm trying to be serious about my problem or concern.
She/he keeps looking at her watch or handphone while I'm talking.
She/he doesn’t put her handphone on silent and takes every call while we are having a discussion.
Eliminate these 15 bad listening habits when you meet your customers. Or better yet eliminate them when you talk to anybody! Be a listener who cares and respects those who you communicate with!
ELAvate has two workshops that support effective listening for salespeople, customer service reps and managers: Active Listening and Good Leaders Ask Great Questions. Contact me for more details on these half day training programs.
Michael J Griffin
CEO and Founder of ELAvate
Global Sales Coach/Trainer
michael.griffin@elavateglobal.com