Want to Sell More? Shut Up and Listen!

Let's face it, we salespeople LOVE to talk. In fact, many of us think we get paid to talk but I don't believe that's true. While presenting is part of our job, and the part we seem to like best (Closing is almost like the icing on the cake compared to presenting for most salespeople) if you really want to make more money in sales you need to speak less and listen more. In fact, I firmly believe that if you ask the right questions and listen carefully to the responses you get, your prospects will tell you everything you need to know in order to help them choose to do business with you. That's right, I just told you your prospects will help you sell them if you just shut up and listen!

Most salespeople believe that the two skills you need to be great at, in order to be successful in sales, are presenting and closing. While it's true that being a good presenter and knowing how to properly close a sale are good skills to have, in my 35 years of studying selling the best salespeople are always three things:

1) The best interviewers (question askers)
2) The best listeners
3) The best storytellers

It turns out that the key to selling isn't really in the presentation or the close; it lies in the questions you ask. Selling is all about asking the questions that help you uncover what makes sense to your prospect. Prospects, just like you and me, do everything we do because it makes sense to do so. For example, you're reading this article right now because it makes sense for you to read it. You dressed a certain way today, ate breakfast or didn't, spoke with people or didn't, etc. all because it made sense to you to do those things. Same thing with your prospects, including buying. Your prospects invest in certain products and services because it makes sense to them. As sales professionals, we need to ask our prospects lots of questions about what they're doing now with regards to what we offer because what they're doing now makes sense to them. For example, I sell sales training and keynote speeches. When talking with the V.P. of Sales at a company regarding the possibility of using my services, I'm going to ask him or her questions like:

"How do you train your people now?"
"When someone new joins your team how do you handle the initial training?"
"How do you train your average performers to increase their skills and effectiveness?"
"Have you ever used an outside consultant like me to train your team?"

Of course I ask many more but the answers to those questions help me to understand what makes sense to the person I'm trying to sell. If what they were doing now didn't make sense to them, they'd be doing something else!

You should notice that what I'm doing is engaging in a conversation with my prospect that's focuses on them. (The only thing they really care about - themselves) After I ask a question I do the hardest thing I can possibly do: Shut Up. I do that, even though it's difficult, because when I shut up it gives my prospect the opportunity to talk and answer my questions. And when they answer my questions I discover what makes sense to them! I listen carefully, I look them in the eye, I nod my head and encourage them to tell me more and I take notes so they know that I consider what they're saying to me important and because it helps me to remember what was said when I get back to my office and think about putting together a proposal.

It's the questions I ask, as well as my careful listening to the answers, which allows me to put together a great presentation for my prospect. I base my presentation on what they've told me they're doing now and after reviewing that with them I share ideas on how I can help them do it better. I'm always certain to include a V.P.S. (Verbal Proof Story) that tells them about a customer of mine who had a situation similar to theirs and how, by using my services, they lived "happily ever after." The V.P.S. is a strong presentation tool and helps the prospect get past the fact that you're a salesperson trying to sell them something. When you use a third party story it's almost as if the third party is endorsing you and doing the selling for you. After making my presentation I simply ask for their business and, once again, shut up and listen carefully to their response. Sometimes you have to wait until the sweat is dripping down your armpits before they'll talk, but let it drip! By asking the right questions and being silent you provide the space for your prospect to "open up" to you.

Practice shutting up and listening. You and your prospects will enjoy the sales process more. And, of yeah, you'll make more money too.

Make It Happen!

Jeff