8 WAYS TO IMPROVE LISTENING SKILLS

There is a lot that has been written about listening skills, and rightfully so, yet far too many sellers cannot grasp the whole concept of listening whenever they are in a sales call, or deep into their presentation. They seem to think that the more they talk, the more the prospect will listen. Yet this couldn’t be further from the truth. Prospects want their say, and to the surprise of many sellers, they are more entitled to have their say than is the seller – but that message seems to fall on more deaf ears than any other.

1.Sop Talking

A good seller has 2 ears and one mouth – and uses them in that proportion. Stop talking also means stop interruption, stop interjecting, and stop lifting a finger upwards as a sign you need to be heard.

2. Nod Often

The nod shows you are attentive to what is being said. Periodically add phrases such as

“I see”,
“That’s interesting”,
“Good”,
“Yes”.

3. Don’t Assume

If you don’t fully understand any one point, don’t assume your either know what was said, or worse still, assume you have a solution until you’ve heard your prospect out. Guess work is suicide in any form of negotiation.

4. Repeat the Statement

Whenever people make a statement to either a stranger or acquaintance, they usually phrase it in such a way that it takes on an aura of importance. Therefore by repeating the statement in their words you further increase the importance value of that statement.

” I see, you want to build a warehouse”

5. Rephrase the Statement

Once confidence has been built, rephrase the statement into a question. At this point the way the question is asked should provide a simple

“yes” or
“no” only.
“John, you’d like to build a new warehouse, is that right?”

6. Question the Statement

The questioning of any statement should give more than just a simple “yes” or “no” answer, and at the same time reinforce the statement.

“John, where and when would you like to build a new warehouse?”

7. Reflect their Feelings

Paint the necessary word picture that will allow them to re-live their feelings.

” That must have been worthwhile”
” Did you let your emotions run wild at that point”
” I can imagine how delighted you must have felt!”

8. Mirror their Body Language

Copy their physical mannerisms and they will feel more comfortable in your presence. Act as if you were looking in the mirror and slowly begin to copy their most pronounced gestures.

Copy and distribute this content as often as you want. You are encouraged to share it. © Copyright Peter Collins, Profit Maker Sales, Sydney, Australia, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017 all rights reserved.

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This Article is by Peter Collins – In a sales career spanning more than 53 years, Peter Collins has focused on helping and bringing out the best in others – whether it involves training or mentoring salespeople, managers, business consulting to SME’s. Since the 1970’s Peter has built a reputation as a Nationally and Internationally Published author, and has 68 business books to his credit, but he is mainly known for one book based on the Audio Tape series of the same name, Over 50 Ways of Closing the Sale. Peter had his first book published in 1969 and now has over 133 books in all, including Business, Marketing, Sales, Free Publicity, Body Language, Music and over 30 Christian books to date. Peters books have sold over 2.5 Million copies of his books over 49 years. In his personal life, Peter has been sought after as an encourager and motivator that has given of his time and talents freely despite his busy schedule. Subsequently, he has assisted churches, pastors, community and charity groups, as well as individuals through his teaching, training, development and on-going mentoring.

8 Ways to Improve Listening Skills

8 WAYS TO IMPROVE LISTENING SKILLS

1.Sop Talking

2. Nod Often

3. Don’t Assume

4. Repeat the Statement

5. Rephrase the Statement

6. Question the Statement

7. Reflect their Feelings

8. Mirror their Body Language

Copy and distribute this content as often as you want. You are encouraged to share it. © Copyright Peter Collins, Profit Maker Sales, Sydney, Australia, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017 all rights reserved.

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