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by Mike Brooks
Have you ever needed to ask directions? You know, you’re traveling and trying to get to your hotel, or you’re in a different part of the city looking for a restaurant and when you don’t know the way, you stop and ask somebody, don’t you?
When you do and they start telling you, what do you do? You listen, don’t you? The person who is speaking has the information you need to get where you need to go, and I’ll bet you even listen actively. You may even make mental notes and you probably also ask clarifying questions when do don’t fully understand something, right?
Compare this type of attentive listening with the listening that most sales reps do when they try to sell their products or service. About 80% of the reps I listen to are pitching more than listening, and they’re jumping in as soon as their prospect takes a breath. Most of the time, they aren’t really hearing what their prospect is saying, rather, they are just waiting for their turn to start closing.
Given this lack of listening and questioning, it’s not hard to understand why most sales reps struggle to make sales…
Listening is the number one skill of Top 20% producers. Their listening goes far beyond just listening though, because top producers actually hear what is behind what their prospects are saying, and they know how to ask clarifying questions to get them to reveal even more.
Whenever you ask your prospect a question, hit your mute button. While this may be uncomfortable at first, you will get many benefits from it, starting with:
There are many more benefits of using your mute button, and I’ll let you discover them on your own. Ultimately, when you listen as if you’re lost, you will find that your prospects will give you the exact directions to what you need to do and say to sell them.
But you’ll only hear these if you’re actively listening. And the most important button on your phone – your mute button – will help you do that. Start using it today!
About the author
Do you have an underperforming inside sales team? Talk to Mike to see how he can help you and your team reach your revenue goals. To learn more about Mike, visit his website: http://www.MrInsideSales.com