One of the very best closing tools that you all have in your back pocket is the ability to REALLY listen to a client. That’s correct: Really listening to a client will move you closer to closing the deal.
Why? Actually the answer is very simple. When we REALLY listen to a client, when they FEEL they are being listened to, when their need to be HEARD is being fulfilled, they move towards gaining intimacy with their salesperson which in turn moves them closer to closing.
On a weekly basis, I get to sit “chair-side” with many of my clients when they are sales pitching, either on a live one on one appointment or live during a phone call. It is very powerful, as a sales coach, to be able to sit back, listen, watch and observe “humanities 101” in process, the exchange between a salesperson and a potential client.
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It is amazing that something as simple as listening falls by the wayside and takes a back seat to the sales pitch. I am not talking about a back seat in the sedan; — I am talking about the back seat in a Boeing 747! We as salespeople have done this to ourselves. We are so engrossed in wanting to convince our clients, that in many cases we forget plain and simple mannerisms’. Typical things I see are unnecessary interruptions, speaking a mile a minute, fidgeting, no eye contact and other non-professional conduct.
A survey was conducted many years ago that showed us in a typical sales conversation of 100 words – We stop listening to the other person by the 7th word spoken and by the 10th word we have already formulated our answer. The survey went on to say that from the 10th word to the 100th word spoken by a client, the salesperson would “check out” of the conversation and for the most part ignore the last 90 words that a client would speak. Talk about a disconnect of the human spirit! Salespeople do it to clients, parents do it to their children, and spouses do it to each other.
Beyond that, many salespeople are hired assassins when it comes to sucking up or kissin’ butt, and yet they fail miserably at really listening, really connecting and most importantly, gaining an intimate connection with their clients. Another survey conducted in the late 90’s asked the respondents what their biggest NEED as a human being was? The #1 answer was the need to be HEARD!
We L I S T E N, and listen like never before.
“When the client’s need to be HEARD is fulfilled, we gain intimacy with that client and move closer to closing them!” — Chuck Bauer
Today, make it a point to stop interrupting. When a client has finished his or her statement or question, PAUSE and take a deep BREATH. In many cases, the client interprets the pause as a psychogenic sign to continue to speak. Remember those 90 words that I wrote about earlier? In many instances, when we allow the client to continue to speak, we find out CLUES, — clues that will help us close the deal, not to mention enabling you to gain intimacy! After you have paused, taken the breath and know FOR SURE the client is finished, then respond! In a dialog responding to an objection, you might
reengage the client by stating “May I comment?”
“Chuck’s skill as a trainer and leader is without peer. I’ve sat in a number of large audiences where Mr. Bauer was the featured speaker. A skillful and polished communicator, Mr. Bauer is especially effective in introducing people to new ideas in such a manner as to engender immediate acceptance. He is my favorite trainer.”
–Lee Odems
Buyers Advantage Real Estate, Washington DC
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These are just a few of the basic listening “characteristics” I have shared with you. Please note that these characteristics go much deeper, exposing layer upon layer as it relates to the personality style of the salespersons as well as the personality style of the client. In my two-day SalesMastery course we actually explore this deep range of communication characteristics so graduates really become experts at knowing and understand what listening will do for them and their specific causes.
In closing, remember this:
78% of our day is spent communicating. We also know that 7 out of 10 messages are either
This means that we communicate at 30% efficiency level. Imagine that if you IMPLEMENT some of the ideas shared in this article, your efficiency will increase, and your intimate connection with your clients will improve which means more sales and higher revenues! Don’t let past experiences or bad habits get in your way. Start LISTENING today!
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Questions and/or Comments?
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Higher PROFITS and higher levels of Sales EFFICIENCIES - typical results that are experienced by Chuck Bauer's clients. Chuck has over two decades of sales experience and on a daily basis you will find him consulting with many sales organizations and salespeople nationwide. He is a highly sought after speaker and a member of the National Speakers Association. His information is widely published in many print and internet based publications. He is an instrument rated-private pilot, committed body builder, and mountain biker. Chuck is typically in the following cities: Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Arlington, El Paso and does sales consulting in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Sales Coach Chuck Bauer is on the LOOKOUT for HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL Sales People — Sales Managers, Sales Executives, Event Planners, Business Owners — who want HIGHER PROFITS and EVEN GREATER SALES EFFICIENCY. If you know ANY of these people or companies in the Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Arlington, or El Paso areas who would be interested in any of Coach Chuck's programs or services, CLICK HERE to find out about Chuck's REFERRAL INCENTIVE BONUS.
"Last week's sales training was far and away the best course of its kind I have ever attended. During my twenty-year career in sales and marketing, I have been part of many sales training courses. The reason your training is so effective is you quickly get to and focus on the essence of selling and bypass the extraneous. That is 'speak the truth always!'"
Robert L. Blythin
San Francisco, CA
