What do talking and listening have in common when it comes to sales? The unusual link here is that most salespeople do too much of one and not enough of another.

Research has consistently shown that the ability to listen is, far and away, the most essential trait necessary for a successful, productive face-to-face sales encounter. Even given that research and documentation, why is it that so many salespeople still believe that silver-tongued oratory is the secret to sales?

Maybe it was your grandmother who once told you "You have the gift of gab, you should go into sales," or your first experience purchasing something when you were entranced by the persuasive skill of an articulate silver-tongued orator. At any rate, the real truth is that if you do a lot more listening than you do talking you will be a lot better off.

Part of the dilemma is to decide what it is you need to be listening to and listening for from your prospects. Let me give you ten hints:

• Listen for answers to intelligent, probing questions. This, of course, means you need to know how to develop and ask questions that are meaningful, relevant, targeted, structured and designed to help your prospect define how you can help them.

• Listen between the lines. What is your prospect saying and not saying? What do they really mean? How do their answers help you understand them better?

• Never interrupt your prospect. Be willing to be interrupted, but never interrupt, cut-off or otherwise curb whatever your prospect is saying.

• Focus on what your prospect is saying. Don’t focus on what they are going to say. Worse yet, don’t focus on what you’re going to say next. Listen to them.

• Record what your prospect is saying. Ask for permission to take notes and then, like a caring physician, write down their answers. This will help you to focus better on what they are saying and will give you a permanent record of the conversation.

• Paraphrase what you believe you are hearing. Ask questions to verify with your prospect that your impression and understanding of what you think they are saying matches what they really mean.

• Ask for clarification. Don’t be afraid to ask questions like, "What do you mean by that?" or "Could you explain that for me?" to be 100% sure you fully understand what is being communicated.

• Offer feedback. This will prove to you and to your prospect that you fully understand what they are saying, what they mean and how it is intended.

• Listen with your eyes, heart and ears. Be sure to listen for the tone, speed and intent of your prospect’s comments. Don’t just listen for information.

• Summarize what you heard. Repeat back to the prospect your understanding of what they told you in a capsulized form. Say something like, "I understand you are looking for something we have in stock, is either red or blue and can be installed in two days." Then verify that your understanding is correct before you ever begin to present any product or service.

There is very little doubt that effective listening leads to effective sales. There is also very little doubt that if more salespeople would simply learn this obvious truth that they would certainly sell better, easier, more resistance-free and at greater margin.

The next time you make a purchase observe the salesperson you encounter. How much talking do they do in comparison to listening? How many questions do they ask you? How frustrated are you when you aren’t even given the opportunity to tell them what you want, need or have to resolve?

The next time you make a sales presentation observe yourself. How much do you talk versus listen? How many questions do you ask? How frustrated is your prospect? Perhaps the real question is this: How successful was your presentation? Did you make or lose the sale?

Here’s the bottom line. You can listen your way into far more sales than you can talk yourself into...every time.

©1999 Bill Brooks, The Brooks Group, Greensboro, NC

FREE FAX OFFER: Receive Bill’s double audio tape bonus set, Accurate Listening (Tape 1) and Objective Listening (Tape 2) – 20 minutes each. Fax request on your business letterhead to 336-282-5707. Bill Brooks can be reached at 800-633-7762.