The Things That Successful Sales People Already Know; Number 1 - Deep Listening

If you have read any of my stuff before you’ll know that one my favourite little bits of wisdom is this:

"When a customer walks into a DIY store to buy a drill, they don’t want a drill, they want a hole!

Good sales people discover exactly what kind of hole the customer needs, the bad ones just talk about drills.”

Questioning techniques are all well and good for that, but if you don’t understand that there are as many rules to listening as there are to asking – you will miss out on loads of stuff!

If you want to get the sales that others simply never even realised existed, the answer lies in what I like to call deep listening, and the best way to describe this is with the Chinese symbol for the verb "to listen". (There is an illustration of the symbol we use in all our workshops here http://vktraining.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/deep-listening-and-the-chinese-symbol-to-listen)

Essentially, the Chinese symbol for the verb "to listen" reads - "I give you my ears, my eyes, my undivided attention and my heart" Which is just about the best definition for listening I've ever heard.

Most sales people ask questions for the sake of asking questions they rarely hear the answers. Others never stop talking long enough to warrant a response.

In a related article we will discuss how to ask appropriate questions, but it's all a bit pointless if you haven't listened. Listening is all about being there at that moment in time

It isn't checking your watch because you have three more calls to do, nor is it staring around at the other people in the room while the customer is talking. It is about showing respect and taking an interest.

The customer has given up their time to see you, this is the first step to a successful sale, don't blow it because your attention span doesn't stretch far enough!

Here are ten essential rules to deep listening;

1. First of all, listen to fully understand and then respond - and only in that order. If you didn't understand say so and ask again.

2. Do not spend the time that a customer is responding to your question, or trying to tell you something, thinking of your next question.

3. If you have already made up your mind of what the answer is going to be, why ask? Alternatively, ask, listen and learn.

4. There will be a point when you become conscious that you stopped listening, turn it back on again. If you think you missed something important, politely cover it off again

5. Don't interrupt

6. Keep eye contact as much as you can (without being spooky) and react accordingly with appropriate listening sounds and facial reactions.

7. Qualify what you have heard e.g. "So if I heard you right, you are saying that..."

8. Remember your manners

9. You are not always right

10. Make notes or put your hands down - don't fidget.