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.