Increase Sales Through Active Listening

Increase Sales Through Active ListeningIncrease Sales Through Active ListeningActive listening is a communication technique that helpsincrease understanding and rapport between a speaker and a listener. Rather than passively listening to the person talking (or not listening at all), the active listener pays close attention to the other persons choice of words, theirtone of voice and their body language- which accounts for at least 80% of communication. The speaker takes in all these components and then repeats back to the speakerthe most important points the speaker was touching on. Active Listening Builds Rapport Active listening is extremely helpful in building rapport between the listener and speaker. This shows the speaker that the other person is truly paying attention, which is especially important in the schlussverkauf world. Prospects are often ignored or talked overbecause the focus is on making the sale, not the person making the purchase. When salespeople show they val ue the prospects needs and opinions, it is far easier to build trust and enayas that the conversation results in a mutually beneficial experience. Active Listening Avoids Miscommunication This approach is also one key way to avoid miscommunication, because the listener sums up the conversation, reiterates back the key points, and the speaker is afforded the opportunity to correct anything that was not clearly understood. Focusing on the other person goes far to avoid throwing thesales cycle completely off track or foster resentment between the salesperson and the prospect. When to Use Active Listening The most obvious time to engage in active listening takes place during qualifying and answering objections stage of the sales cycle. This is not to say those seeking to seal the deal should close their ears or shut down their brains during other stages of the process. Often a salespersons prospect will spontaneously offer useful information critical to identifying their wants a nd needs (and most importantly objections). 2 Times More Listening The stereotypical salesperson talks all the time, but if thats how you sell, youre missing out on significant opportunities. A commonly-heard bit of sales advice is, You have two ears and one mouth- you should be using them in that proportion. Spend twice as much time listening as talking. Prospects will drop clues as to what theyre thinking and how theyre feeling about you and your products or services. Theyre telling you what they like and dislike and whats important to them. This is precisely the information you need to close the sale, so by not paying attention, youll have to work a lot harder to make the sale. Learn These Listening Techniques Few people (and fewer salespeople) are naturally good listeners. It will take time and effort to break the bad listening habits youve developed, but the rewards are equally significant. Techniques for active listening include Attending to the speaker without thinkin g about your own responseNodding, making eye contact, or otherwise affirming that you are listeningAsking open-ended questions to elicit mora informationClarifying your understanding with specific questionsWatching body language to determine the speakers emotional state and underlying meaningParaphrasing the speakers ideas to be sure you understood correctly What Active Listening Accomplishes Using active listening with a prospect accomplishes two things. First, you will fully understand what the prospect has told you and you can use those clues to successfully close the sale. Second, youll be demonstrating respect for your prospect, which gives you a huge boost in the rapport-building department. One of the most common barriers to good listening occurs when you hear something interesting and immediately start framing a reply or planning what youll do about what youve just heard. Of course, while youre thinking about what the other person has said, youre now tuning out the rest of what theyre saying. One trick to keep your mind on the speaker is to mentally echo what theyre saying as they say it. Listen to Body Language When someone else is speaking, listen with your eyes as well as your ears.Body languageis as important to conveying meaning as is spoken the language, so if you listen but dont look youll miss half the message. Summarize and Paraphrase Your Response Once the speaker has finished talking, briefly summarize what theyve said. For example, you might say It sounds like you are happy with your current model, but you wish it were a little smaller because you have limited available workspace. That shows the speaker that you were listening, and also gives them a chance to correct any misunderstandings right away. Summarizing the speakers meaning will also tend to draw out more details (Yes, and Id also like it in red) that can help you tailor your pitch more effectively. Responding to Concerns Finally, if you have questions or comments t ry to present them in a non-confrontational way, affirming your clients concerns. For example, if a prospect says I dont see why you cant deliver by Tuesday- thats a whole week away you might say something like, I know that not getting the delivery right away is frustrating, but we have a strict quality control and inspection process that we follow to make sure that you get top-quality equipment.

Study Busy managers more likely to treat employees unfairly

Study Busy managers mora likely to treat employees unfairlyStudy Busy managers more likely to treat employees unfairlyWhen the boss is overworked, their employees needs and wants drop to the bottom of the to-do list, a new study in the Academy of Management Journal found. Concerned employees find a boss who is too busy to meet with them, one who canbedrngnis be bothered to explain day-to-day decisions.If youre the employee of one of these bosses, you may think they are acting insensitively out of malice. Why wont my boss make time for me? you huff. Why cant they explain whats happening? But the researchers found that these managers are just too busy to act fairly towards employees.Overworked managers prioritize getting things done for the company over being fairAcross three studies, the researchers came to one main conclusion as managers workloads increase, they are more likely to prioritize tasks that support the organization at the expense of overlooking fairness towards employees. Overworked managers let their just principles drop away when they are facing the pressures of deadlines.The researchers defined fairness by the time that managers dedicated to making their employees feel heard. No matter how busy they are, a fair boss treats you with dignity and respect. Fair bosses make decisions that they apply consistently to everyone. They cannot play favorites. If you have a boss who schedules time to meet with every employee, you have a fair boss. If you have a boss who explains the logic and rationale behind difficult decisions to you, shes a fair boss. If your boss never acknowledges your contributions, you have an unfair boss.Employers may scoff and see employees feeling slighted as a justified cost in the name of doing business. But the researchers found that focusing on technical tasks did not even improve companies bottom-lines. Prioritizing technical work tasks harmed fairness, but did not improve technical performance, the researchers found.If you hav e a heavy workload, as many of us do, dont worry - you are not automatically going to be an unfair jerk to your employees. The researchers found that when managers worked in environments that rewarded and recognized fair management, they began to prioritize it too. Google, for example, has a Great Manager Award. Winners of this award consistently are known for expressing interest and concern for their employees continued success. When you work in an environment that sees happy employees as a core leadership task, then management will reflect this.

FAQs About Overtime Pay for Nonexempt Employees

FAQs About Overtime Pay for Nonexempt Employees FAQs About Overtime Pay for Nonexempt Employees Overtime pay is the compensation paid to an employee for hours worked more than 40 hours in a single work week. Federal and state laws require overtime pay for nonexempt employees, and in some cases, even salaried employees. Learn more about overtime pay for nonexempt employees with this FAQ. What Is Overtime Pay? Overtime pay is the compensation paid to an employee for hours worked more than 40 hours in a single work week. What Defines a “Workweek?” A “work week” is not necessarily Monday through Friday, but is any consecutive seven-day (24 hour) period of time, or 168 consecutive hours (7 x 24 Hours 168 Hours). An employer may have different “work weeks” for different employees and employees work weeks may also be subject to change.  An employer who manipulates their work weeks by purposely adjusting start days to avoid paying overtime may be breaking the law. Some states have additional laws regarding when overtime pay must be given that are even stronger than federal law.  For example, in California employers must pay overtime at time and a half to employees who work more than 8 hours in a single day and double-time after 12 hours worked in a single day.  While in Colorado, employees get overtime pay at a rate of 1.5 after 12 hours are worked in a given day. Do State Laws Require Overtime Pay? Yes, always. States cannot adopt laws that do not at least meet the federal law minimum overtime pay standards, but they can enact laws the offer exceed them. For example, some state laws require overtime pay to be paid when an employee works more than eight hours in a single day and some state laws for overtime pay are more generous to employees than are federal laws. Overtime Laws by State (Clickable Map)How Much Do I Get Paid for Overtime? Who is Eligible to Receive Overtime Pay? All nonexempt workers are eligible to receive overtime pay, and, in some cases, this includes salaried employees that may also be considered nonexempt. Are All Hourly Wage Workers Nonexempt Employees? No. It is important to understand that “nonexempt” does not necessarily include all hourly wage earners. An employee is determined to either be nonexempt (eligible) or exempt (not eligible) for overtime pay based on a variety of factors. Do I have to Pay Salaried Workers Overtime Pay? Generally, no, but in some cases, you may be required to pay overtime to salaried employees (nonexempt salaried employees are usually defined as those working in certain industries, performing certain tasks, and who make a salary under a certain threshold). In some cases, an employer may pay a “salary” for nonexempt positions to simplify payroll. However, the employer must still pay the salaried, nonexempt worker for any overtime hours that they work. Overtime pay laws only apply to “nonexempt” which are usually, but not always, hourly wage workers. How Much is the Overtime Hourly Pay Rate? Federal law stipulates nonexempt employees eligible for overtime pay be compensated for overtime hours at a rate of one and one-half (1.5) times their regular rate of pay. For example, an hourly employee regularly paid $10.00 per hour would earn $15.00 per hour for each overtime hour: Regular Hourly Rate x 1.5 Hourly Overtime Pay Rate Do I have to Pay Employees Overtime Based on Hours Worked? Yes. However, employers may pay some employees by piecework or annual salary (in which case any expected overtime hours are “built-in” to the compensation package). But in each case, overtime pay for all nonexempt employees must still be calculated based on the hours eligible employees work per workweek. When Do Employees Get Paid for Overtime Hours Worked? Overtime pay must be paid at the same time an employee is paid for regular hours worked in the same 7-day (24 consecutive hours) work week. In other words, an employer cannot hold back on overtime pay- it must be kept current and paid on the same cycle for regular payroll.