|
 |
The
Power of Active Listening
by
Bill Brooks
|
It is a commonly known
fact that when you listen intently to what someone is telling you, you are going
to have a much more positive reaction when it is your turn to be heard. Unfortunately,
salespeople seem to forget this all-important fact when they are attempting to convey
the value of their product to their prospect.
Actively listening to your prospect not only increases the effectiveness of the interaction
between you and your prospect, it also greatly increases your chance of making the
sale. When you actively listen to the prospect, you are better able to understand
that prospect's needs, and in turn, you are then even better able to express the
ways in which your product or service can benefit the prospect.
There are ten tips that can help you to be a better active listener. If you pay attention
and actively internalize these tips, then you are already on your way to improving
your sales skills.
The first tip is to open your mind and ears. You should switch off all negative
thoughts and feelings about the person and be receptive to the messages he or she
is giving. Don't allow your opinion of that person to interfere with your chances
of eventually closing the sale. Perhaps you find the manner in which the person dresses
or speaks to be distasteful. Don't let your disdain show itself, because you may
not get past the first few minutes of your conversation.
The next tip is to listen from the first sentence. You need to temporarily
put aside or forget whatever it is that you're preoccupied with at the time of your
interaction. If you do appear preoccupied, then your prospect will know it and will
surely feel unimportant. Trust me, any prospect who feels unimportant to a salesperson
will take his or her business elsewhere.
Analyze what is being said. Don't ever try to figure out what the prospect
is going to say. You should pay attention to exactly what the prospect is saying
at that given moment. Even the slowest listeners can think faster than the fastest
talkers. Again, think only about what is being said at the given time.
Really listen, don't just not talk. This tip means that you should
not only appear to be listening...you should actively assist the prospect in conveying
his or her message. While your silence may cause you to appear to be listening, the
prospect may begin to feel as if you are not truly listening if you do not give some
sort of feedback to that which they're saying.
The fifth tip, never interrupt, but always be interruptible, is invaluable.
Interrupting your prospect is not only rude, but is also very damaging to your chances
of making the sale.
Another extremely positive aspect of this tip involves the fact that your allowing
the prospect to feel that he or she is able to interrupt you is quite conducive to
a feeling resembling a bond between you and the prospect. Since you allow the prospect
to interrupt what you are saying, you appear to truly care about what he or she is
saying, which can build a very positive relationship between you and that prospect.
A tip that goes hand-in-hand with the previous tip is to ask questions. To stimulate
people to talk and to help you clarify your understanding of what they mean, let
them know you take them seriously by drawing them out. When you ask questions you
reinforce the idea that you are truly listening, not simply standing there, waiting
for your turn to speak.
The seventh tip, remembering what is said, involves logging important points into
your mental computer. You should take notes if you feel that such action is necessary.
Also, try to make connections between apparently isolated remarks.
Blocking out interruptions and distractions is an essential step in becoming an
effective active listener. You should concentrate so fully on what is being said
that you don't even notice visual and audible distractions. When you allow these
outside factors to steal your attention, your prospect may possibly assume that your
original attention was forced, thereby causing your chances of completing a sale
to dramatically decrease.
An obvious aspect of actively listening to your prospect is to be responsive.
However, this tip is not so obvious to some salespeople because many never seem to
follow this advice. For those who don't know what this means, you should get your
whole body into listening and showing that you are paying attention. Look the person
squarely in the eyes, and use facial expressions.
The final, and most important tip in the process of active listening is to stay
cool. You should emanate complete relaxation throughout your entire conversation
with the prospect. Don't overreact to highly charged words and tones, because quite
often people calm down after being allowed to vent their anger and frustration. Furthermore,
your calm is likely to rub off on your prospect, creating a conversation environment
that is far less stress-free.
Active listening is an important, yet widely ignored aspect of selling. If you are
unable to convey your heartfelt interest in what your prospect is saying, then your
chances of actually closing the sale are greatly decreased. On the other hand, if
you follow these tips to becoming an active listener, then you are guaranteed to
have many more productive, pleasant selling experiences.
Bill
Brooks is CEO of The Brooks Group, an international sales training and business
growth firm based in Greensboro NC. For more information visit www.thebrooksgroup.com.
If you would like to receive The Brooks Group's free e-mail monthly sales or sales
management newsletter e-mail:
Barbara@thebrooksgroup.com or call The Brooks
Group at 800-633-7762
|
