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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After only one session as Sales Coach Chuck Bauer's client, your sales expand INSTANTLY. Benefit from sales trainer, mentor, coach, and sales manager Chuck Bauer's decades of experience and leading-edge research into how to sell, sell, sell. A member of the National Speaker's Association, Chuck spends his time in front of large groups giving seminars, individually on site, or over the phone, teaching, supporting, and yes, selling. Published author, in print and online, Chuck's information on selling effectively and efficiently appears worldwide. Based in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, instrument-rated pilot, committed body builder, and mountain biker Chuck Bauer consults nationally and internationally with individuals, independents, small businesses, and multi-national corporations.
In 2011, he conducted 623 One-On-One Coaching sessions (many video recorded), he visited 44 cities in three countries, coached on 141 LIVE face-to-face sales presentations, coached on 433 LIVE sales phone calls and conducted 45 Sales Seminars. This type of INVALUABLE experience can help take you and your company to higher levels.
