Why we as human beings find it easier to talk than listen when we are equipped with two ears and only one mouth I will never quite understand.
When you are talking you are not selling, you’re marketing. It’s when you start listening to your customers and prospective customers that you become a salesperson. To become a truly great listener, you need to be more interested in hearing your customer’s story than in telling your own. When you master that skill, your sales and success will soar.
Why to not demo your product first
Several years ago, I started going out on sales calls with just a leather portfolio that contained a notepad, a few business cards and some carefully tucked away product literature. I remember arriving at some appointments and my prospective customer would ask where my computer was for the demo (I was then and still am in the software business). I would simply reply that it’s in the car and I can certainly go get it after listening to what your needs are and if our solutions make sense.
Talk about an approach that stopped people cold and disarmed them. They were used to software folks showing up all ready to do a 60-minute demo. The problem with this of course is that you never get to learn anything about their business and they get to learn everything about your product. The inherent problem with them learning everything about your product is that it’s not a perfect product; none are.
Instead, it makes more sense to learn what your prospective client needs to solve whatever their current problem is. Then, you can tailor a product demonstration that illustrates how you can solve that specific problem instead of the standard soup to nuts demo. Sure, it’s quite likely most customers will end up utilizing more of your product’s features than solve their initial specific problem; but it’s those very features that will seal the deal.
Talking without listening first is not selling, it’s marketing
Showing up for a sales call and running through your standard slide deck or software demo is honestly no more useful than posting a YouTube video of those activities for your prospective clients to watch. Please don’t misunderstand me. Those are useful activities if your goal is marketing. You’re putting your standard message out there and playing a numbers game waiting for a certain percentage of the audience to express an interest in what you do.
As a matter of fact, you are probably headed into your sales calls because of successful marketing activities. And that should beg the question: Why would you just keep marketing to an already interested prospect when you can begin the sales cycle? Selling starts with listening to your prospective client and understanding what their needs are so you can properly present your solutions to solve those needs.
Two ears, one mouth
There’s an old saying that God gave you two ears and one mouth so you would listen twice as much as you talk. While it’s clearly a corny saying, there is a great deal of truth and value in following just such a formula. Think for a moment of the last networking event you attended. Did you talk or listen more? If you were talking more, then I’d argue your networking was less effective than if you listened more. By listening, you can meet people whom you can either help or work together because you will understand more about them.
Now, if one of the people you are listening to (and remember part of listening is asking pertinent questions to continue gathering information) starts to ask you questions, then you’ll know two things. First, that person has an equal interest in you and secondly that they have been listening as well. Yes, it’s possible to listen while you talk. When there is a pause in the conversation and you ask a pertinent question, the speaker will understand you have been listening because the question will not be a random networking event question.
Ideas come from listening
Many of the ideas for topics on this blog come from listening to the conversations I have had. People often talk about those areas of their life that are most challenging and where they are looking for help and solutions. By taking the time to listen, I am able to write about topics that I know at least a portion of my audience will be interested in.
And now I’m done talking and would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.