5 Ways to Becoming a Better Listener
One of the biggest flaws you will find in many sales professionals is that they just don’t listen. In an effort to prepare for their interaction with the customer, they prepare a list of questions or points to discuss but the entire meeting becomes more focused on their agenda than the customer and they miss the whole point of the meeting in the first place. While it is great to be prepared, you must also be flexible. Your goal is to learn more about the customer and their needs so that you can partner with them to provide the best solutions. Great sales professionals are experts at active listening. Active listening requires more than just hearing words; it requires proper response stimuli to those words to indicate to the customer that you are, in fact, paying attention. Follow these steps to become a better active listener with your customers and win more accounts.
Follow the 80/20 Rule: If you are doing 80% of the talking and your customer is only filling in 20% of the time, this is not good. Have you ever heard the expression, “God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason”? Take this expression to heart when you are meeting with your customer. You are there to learn more about them, therefore, they should be doing most of the talking. If you take the time to listen intently to the customer, they will reveal to you exactly what they need.
Ask engaging questions: One way your client really knows that you are listening to what they are saying is when you ask questions. You may have preset questions that you want to ask during this meeting, but when you ask follow up questions that stem directly from your conversation with the customer, they know you are fully engaged.
Repeat statements back to the customer: One of the most recognizable traits of active listening is being able to repeat statements back to the customer to not only affirm that you are listening, but that you understand what they are saying. In some cases, you may need to repeat back to the customer to clarify a statement and ensure that you do fully understand. Either way lets the customer know that you are paying attention to them and not your agenda.
Don’t interrupt the customer: One of your key goals when meeting with or talking to a customer is to get them talking, so don’t mess that up by interrupting them. Relax and listen to what they have to say; this demonstrates respect and courtesy. If you have things you want to ask or clarify, make a note of it and ask them when they are finished talking.
Carefully observe body language and/or nonverbal cues: Engagement with a customer goes beyond just talking. When listening to them, pay attention to their body language as they speak about specific subjects? Do they stiffen up when they talk about certain things? This may be a sign of distress or anxiety about this subject. Respond appropriately. Over the phone, you can pick up on nonverbal cues by tone and pitch. For example, maybe the customer is showing a hurried tone and is giving you short, blunt answers to your questions. Perhaps, it is not the best time for them to have this conversation with you. Ask them if it is a good time to speak. If they tell you that they have a million distractions going on right now, offer to reschedule your conversation for a more convenient time.
Active listening is a crucial skill to closing sales and developing relationships with your customers. After all, how will you know what your customer needs if you are not listening to them? Separate yourself from the pack and learn how to actively listen to what your customer is telling you, so that you appropriately respond in kind. Your customer will thank you for it with their business.
If you are interested in learning more about our services please contact Thomas Ellis,Chief Sales Coach-EWC Consultants at 301-343-0001 ortellis@ewcconsultants. Also feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.
Follow the 80/20 Rule: If you are doing 80% of the talking and your customer is only filling in 20% of the time, this is not good. Have you ever heard the expression, “God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason”? Take this expression to heart when you are meeting with your customer. You are there to learn more about them, therefore, they should be doing most of the talking. If you take the time to listen intently to the customer, they will reveal to you exactly what they need.
Ask engaging questions: One way your client really knows that you are listening to what they are saying is when you ask questions. You may have preset questions that you want to ask during this meeting, but when you ask follow up questions that stem directly from your conversation with the customer, they know you are fully engaged.
Repeat statements back to the customer: One of the most recognizable traits of active listening is being able to repeat statements back to the customer to not only affirm that you are listening, but that you understand what they are saying. In some cases, you may need to repeat back to the customer to clarify a statement and ensure that you do fully understand. Either way lets the customer know that you are paying attention to them and not your agenda.
Don’t interrupt the customer: One of your key goals when meeting with or talking to a customer is to get them talking, so don’t mess that up by interrupting them. Relax and listen to what they have to say; this demonstrates respect and courtesy. If you have things you want to ask or clarify, make a note of it and ask them when they are finished talking.
Carefully observe body language and/or nonverbal cues: Engagement with a customer goes beyond just talking. When listening to them, pay attention to their body language as they speak about specific subjects? Do they stiffen up when they talk about certain things? This may be a sign of distress or anxiety about this subject. Respond appropriately. Over the phone, you can pick up on nonverbal cues by tone and pitch. For example, maybe the customer is showing a hurried tone and is giving you short, blunt answers to your questions. Perhaps, it is not the best time for them to have this conversation with you. Ask them if it is a good time to speak. If they tell you that they have a million distractions going on right now, offer to reschedule your conversation for a more convenient time.
Active listening is a crucial skill to closing sales and developing relationships with your customers. After all, how will you know what your customer needs if you are not listening to them? Separate yourself from the pack and learn how to actively listen to what your customer is telling you, so that you appropriately respond in kind. Your customer will thank you for it with their business.
If you are interested in learning more about our services please contact Thomas Ellis,Chief Sales Coach-EWC Consultants at 301-343-0001 ortellis@ewcconsultants. Also feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.