If judged by their actions, many misguided sales professionals focus on presentations, solutions, stories, and insights about how their product or service can help buyers. They believe persuasion is a key component of selling, so they pitch, persuade, and try to convince.
This one-way approach to selling is undoubtedly selling…but it’s the lowest form of selling.
It’s like bacteria. It’s a living organism, but it’s at the bottom of the food chain.
Selling is a conversation.
According to Julian Treasure, author and communications expert, nearly 95% of people in a survey thought they were good listeners, yet only 2-3% showed truly effective listening skills when tested. In another, HubSpot found that 69% of buyers say sellers could improve their sales experience by listening to their needs.
Much of the “training” around listening seems a bit disingenuous to me. Repeat what you heard, paraphrase, and have open body language. That’s good, I guess but I’ve always felt like that was acting like you were listening.
Acting like you are listening is not the same as listening.
In the sales world, we know that listening is essential. David Sandler once said, “In a sales call, you should talk 30% of the time, and your prospect should talk 70% of the time.” When I share that quip with clients, head nods abound.
It sounds good. Of course, we should listen more than we talk. But in practice, it’s not so easy.
What are some of the concepts we teach our clients to listen more and improve selling conversations?
Pre-Call Planning
In a proper pre-call plan, outcomes should be considered. If my prospect, at the end of the meeting, says “Yes,” what are they saying yes to? Top sales professionals are keenly aware of where they are in their process and the next steps. Also, what questions will you ask, and what will they likely ask you? And how will you answer them?
We stop listening when we are “inside our heads” during a sales call. A good pre-call plan allows for poise, presence, and command – all of which enhance our listening ability.
Start with a solid Up-Front Contract
Up-front contracts are the brief conversation, as the meeting begins, that allow us to discuss our plan for the meeting. How much time do we have? Why are we here? What would you like to talk about? Here’s my agenda. What are the potential outcomes?
Good up-front contracts are a tool for listening.
Pain Funnel
One of Sandler’s gems is the Pain Funnel. It’s a guide for going deeper into conversations. While most less-than-stellar salespeople pounce at the first sign of pain (“We can help you!”), a professional understands that the real problem lies deeper. Ask questions, gather examples, uncover the reasons for the problem, and most importantly, the impact.
Without questions, you are no different than a peddler.
Without questions, you are doing too much of the talking.
Without questions, you aren’t getting to the root cause.
Without questions, you may struggle to recommend the right solution.
Without questions, you will not be a good listener.
Sell more by squinting your ears.
Listen more by asking more questions.
Robin Green
Robin Green is the President and Owner of Ascend Performance, Inc., a certified and award-winning Sandler Training Center in Richmond, VA. He specializes in helping companies of all sizes to develop the Attitudes, Behaviors, and Techniques that will help them reach new levels. Robin is a keynote speaker and podcast host. You can reach him at robin.green@sandler.com. He helps companies and motivated individuals with sales, management, and customer service training.
