Listening vs. Talking During the Sales Process

There are certain things that will set any sales professional apart from their competition in a client meeting, but effective listening has to be at the top of the list. Are you listening more than you are speaking? By understanding what to listen for, keeping the conversation going deeper, uncovering important needs, and learning by asking the right questions, you will be on the fast-track to becoming a valued partner for your customers and closing more business.

Listening is hard work

As sales professionals, we all have features and benefits to our product or service and we know them inside and out. By asking questions that lead your prospect to validate which of these benefits are important to them, and which are not, before you ever open your mouth to ‘pitch,’ you will be in a strong position to present an effective argument to the customer about why your product or service is the right one for them. If you open your mouth first and regurgitate what your marketing team developed for you, I guarantee that you’ll miss something critical to making the sale and creating a positive, new client partnership. Listening intently to a customer’s answers will give you the exact roadmap to help them solve their problems.

Customers want to be heard and understood

When we speak too much, too early, customers can build walls that are difficult to break down. When they speak, they let us into their world and share what they are thinking. When sales professionals manage a client meeting by granting the customer most of the talk time while keeping them on the correct path with specific questions, reaching a successful destination for both of you is often the result. Ask many questions and listen hard. Your prospect will teach you much about them and their business, and you will both have a good experience about what transpired and the direction your partnership is heading.

Understanding client needs is a basic requirement for selling something to them, right?

I have learned that good salespeople ask good questions but great salespeople dig in and go several layers deeper. By listening to a client’s answers and asking follow-up questions to gain further clarification, you eventually get at the root of what is really going on. It is rare when a prospect is a completely open book and shares everything with us unprompted. Think about being an attorney with a witness on the stand. Ask, ask again, and continue asking in different ways until you find the truth you’re seeking.

Listen and Learn

Years ago, when I was in the technology publishing industry, it was daunting at first to feel confident in speaking their language. Technology was a brand-new industry for me, my customers were incredibly accomplished, and I had to ramp up immediately. I quickly learned that since I had little to add (at first!), that I had to keep them speaking before they realized I had no idea what I was talking about. The kinds of questions that began with Who, What, Why, When, Where, and How served me very well. I would ask a question and listen intently hoping to find something in their response to latch onto in order to ask another intelligent question. I did that over and over and over. What I found is that my customers were excellent teachers. Being an eager student, everything started to click pretty quickly, and I became adept at helping them understand how I could effectively promote their products in language that resonated with them.

Sales professionals work long and hard to set the proper number of prospect meetings to make a difference. When you clear this first hurdle, take advantage of the opportunity they have given you to uncover their core needs. As you listen intently, hidden doors will present themselves through active listening. The best sales reps in the business probe deeper on client responses to uncover the truth and challenge customer’s thoughts in a respectful way, because they now understand the customer. It is then an easy process of matching their needs with your benefits to create a happy, long-term partner.

Win-win situations satisfy everyone. What is your experience with active listening, and how has it helped you?