Sales is a funny thing. We are ALL told that we must listen to our clients. But how many of us really, truly do this?
Think back to some of your recent sales calls. Do you think there might have been an occurrence or two where you might have glossed over something the client said? Were there instances where you left the call thinking to yourself "If I had only asked..." or "I should have found out more about..." These are all symptoms of not actively listening to your clients. Let's face it, we have all done it.
Here is the problem. Everyone goes into a meeting with an objective or set of objectives. As a seller, we go in with a lot of internal dialogue. It is not uncommon for a lot of salespeople to constantly think about the "list of questions" that they need to get through in the call. Or, worse yet, what they NEED to say... Clients want to talk, we all know that. But think back to your personal lives. How do you feel when you get the sense that the person you are speaking with is ignoring you or not really paying attention. Those of you with teen aged children will know of what I write. Now put yourself in the place of a client who has just told you that "something", let's say a business strategy, is really important.... and you blow right past it, continuing with your list of questions (or with the interrogation as it were). What do you think the client feels your level of interest is in his/her needs?
The principle I am floating is ACTIVE LISTENING. The term itself seems simple enough. Listening - we know what that is. But what do we mean by ACTIVE. Quite simply, this is the act (or art) of being involved in the conversation - turning off the internal dialogue and intently listening to the information that is being provided - assimilating it - and then utilizing this information to guide future questioning, discussion, positioning... whatever...
Let's get pragmatic for a moment. How can you do this? It is easy enough to say one needs to actively listen, it is quite another to actually DO IT and execute on the principle!As with many of the principles I am fond of articulating - mastery starts with practice. The great thing about this skill is that it can be developed in absolutely every aspect of your life. So let's take it one step at a time.
In order to listen you need to hear. So clean the wax out of your ears, perk them up and pay attention. This means making direct eye contact with the other person. I am still amazed at the number of professionals that I work with that can not maintain eye contact, have a tendency to allow their eyes to wander and then require reiteration of points and information. Practice this with a friend, a partner and even your children if you have them. The next time you speak with them - look them directly in the eyes (remember to blink else they think you "weird"). Try and compare the amount of information you understood versus those times where you weren't really paying attention. Incidentally, my wife calls me on this one all the time!
Next step - "clear your mind Daniel-san". Face it, when we are on sales calls we are thinking about stuff: "what are those questions I need to have answered, how much is this deal going to be, can I afford that fancy new tie with my commission, what was that next question again, I wonder what's for dinner tonight...." You get the point. The key to active listening is to move those mental distractions away. I assume most of you are quite conversant in your products and services, your sales process and what you really need to know - so don't worry about them at this point! The more involved you are in the conversation at hand, the more possibilities for exploration will open to you.
Final step - assimilation and information utilization. Assimilation (not not the Borg-type - sorry - geek moment) is critical. When we are receiving information we need to file this in terms of our current understanding of the client. This means that as the client is speaking, we are intently listening and the information is being processed against our current understanding - sometimes changing it. Now is the time to analyse what we have heard and use this as the basis for further exploration. This requires some relatively rapid analysis and some quick thinking. An easy way to get into this habit is to simply think of some HOW or WHAT questions as follow-up. It will be easier than you might think.
That's it for now. Try this out - again in all areas of your lives - and I am sure you will find the quality of your discussions will improve and you probability of understanding those with whom you are speaking will certainly be enhanced.
Until next time.
Cheers,
Steve
