A salesperson can do which of the following through the use of careful active listening techniques?
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Much of what has been written about effective listening in sales revolves around the practice of Active Listening. Although active listening is a valuable skill I don’t agree with some of the process when applied to selling. So, a lot of what follows centres around the process of active listening with some modifications. Why Use Effective Listening in Sales?What purpose does effective listening serve? Salespeople who don’t listen effectively miss the opportunity to build rapport, uncover buyer needs, and let the prospect know they understand their world. By listening well you show respect which builds rapport. By paying attention you demonstrate that you value them and have empathy for their problems or desires. Effective listening avoids miscommunication this saves time and frustration by being able to understand if there is a true “fit” between the solution offered and what the
prospect really needs and the salesperson makes more sales in less time due to being able to quickly channel sales efforts to more qualified targets. It’s also been uncovered that prospects offer fewer and softer objections if the emphasis has been on their need to solve a problem rather than the salesperson’s need to make a sale. Too often, salespeople are waiting for their turn to talk or thinking about what to say next or they listen long enough to interrupt and
correct the speakers ‘wrong’ perception. Or worse still launch into a standard sales pitch first and listen later – when it’s already too late. This sends the message that you think your prospect is just like everybody else. If you are not listening effectively you’ll likely miss buying signals. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had to kick a colleague under the desk to stop them talking themselves out of a sale. Presumably my colleagues were not noticing the buying
signals becasue they were focusing on what they were going to say next. Pitching first tries to pigeon-hole a prospect into a specific problem-solution or worse still “throws mud on the walls” with lots of features and benefits “to see what sticks”. It seems to them you want to make the sale as quickly as possible and move on to the next “conquest” When you really listen you also hear what’s not being said and that leads to understand the other person much better. And that is precisely why great listening is the single most important skill for a top notch sales person. “Because in the end, successful sales numbers are the result of effective information gathering. Those who know more about their potential client win the deal.” “Selling is the most advanced form of communication. It requires the utilization of all our senses. Although you may feel that the greatest barriers to your selling performance may be attributed to having the wrong product, closing techniques, presentation tools, or even prospects, consider that the foundation of successful selling is based on how well you listen.” - Keith Rosen - Sales Coach What is Active Listening?Rather than passively listening to the person talking (or not listening at all), an active listener:
A prerequisite of effective listening is Comprehension. (especially in sales) Going into any sales conversation, you must have a proficient knowledge of the prospect’s industry and the terminology used in that industry, the person’s position, and a little on their personal background. Knowing their industry well and some facts about them helps you to put yourself in their position and really empathise with their reality. What stress are they under? What would that feel like? How to Do Effective ListeningAs I mentioned before many of these techniques are part of the active listening skillset. (but there are some exceptions) Truly Listening Means:Listening with the intent to understandNOT with the intent of finding an opportunity to offer your product. Attending to the speaker without thinking about your own response NOT multitasking Listening for what is not said. Listen with your eyes. Watch their body language. Listening for the clients verbal modalities Acknowledging that you are listening, understanding, and engaged with what they are saying. Never interrupting while the client is speaking. Delaying your responses Taking notes. An
interesting story ... Asking questions to understand “You have two ears and one mouth, use them in that ratio” My first sales manager - Bob Willis Feeding back what you just heard back to the prospect means:Active Listening would suggest you paraphrase what your prospect says, feeding it back to them in your words. I think this is NOT the best way to feed back to your customer. Personally I think at first you should feed back EXACTLY what your prospect has said. this is known as “Parrotphrasing”. Of, course you can’t just feed back their exact words throughout the conversation but in the first instance you want to create a connection. And here’s the thing, often words have a very distinct meaning to the person that speaks. Especially, general words and values words. I write about what so say in this article explaining how it relates to Needs v Wants Then you have to clarify the meaning of what they said especially if they have used words that are a Nominalisation … It can also be a good idea at this time to note the feelings they are experiencing. Reflect back what it means back to the speaker is when the speaker will feel heard and understood at a deeper level. “Wow, it sounds like solving this production problem would take a huge load off and free you up for some of the other projects you’re hoping to get to.” If you can hear “tension” in their voice (or movements) you could say something like “you sound really tense when you talk about that?” This shows that you can empathise with their feelings. If you can’t be sure what they are feeling you can always ask, Confirm that you heard the prospect correctly and ask the prospect to correct anything that they did not clearly understandAsk, or maybe “Did I communicate that effectively?” or If the prospect says “no” (unlikely if you parrot phrased them) you now have an opportunity to clarify your understanding by asking … “Could you clarify for me what I might have missed or got wrong?” Don’t ask, Ask a relevant follow up questions to deepen your understanding of the prospect’s situation.You will likely need to gather more information to get a clear picture of where they are at and what the problem is and how it affects them. You can ask a clarifier like: There are also questions recommended by Spin Selling which SPIN refers to as
Implication Questions which delve into the wider effects this has or will have on their business You can also ask Contributing Questions like: Resist the temptation to ask closed-ended questions that might make the prospect think that you’re only interested in making the sale. Problems doing Effective Listening in SalesA common problem for salespeople with listening well occurs when they hear something interesting and immediately start framing a reply or planning what they’ll do about what they’ve just heard. Multitasking is a major problem … JUST STOP IT ! Selective Listening Can be Problem You need to hear everything not just what you want to hear. Background noise or your environment can hinder your ability to listen Be careful of biases. The urge to close the deal as quickly as possible can be a real problem Hopefully, with the information above you’ll be able to improve your listening skills because effective listening is one of the foundations of making sales.
What are the 4 techniques for active listening?They all help you ensure that you hear the other person, and that the other person knows you are listening to what they say.. Pay attention. Give the speaker your undivided attention, and acknowledge the message. ... . Show that you are listening. ... . Provide feedback. ... . Defer judgment. ... . Respond Appropriately.. What are some techniques you can use to demonstrate active listening?10 tips for active listening. Face the speaker and have eye contact. ... . “Listen” to non-verbal cues too. ... . Don't interrupt. ... . Listen without judging, or jumping to conclusions. ... . Don't start planning what to say next. ... . Don't impose your opinions or solutions. ... . Stay focused. ... . Ask questions.. How should a salesperson actively listen to a customer?How to Use Active Listening in Your Selling Process. Listen with your eyes. ... . Be aware of body language. ... . Avoid the temptation to interrupt. ... . Don't just hear the words, but truly listen for their underlying meaning.. Take notes. ... . Repeat for understanding. ... . Ask questions when necessary for clarification.. How is active listening used in sales?Active Listening is a four-step process:. Truly listen to the prospect.. Feed back the content and feeling of the prospect's words.. Confirm you heard the prospect correctly.. Ask a relevant follow up question to further clarify your understanding of their situation.. |