Active Listening and Customer Relationship Management are Keys to Sales Success
Listening is a part of everyday life, amazingly few of us do a good job at it. The average person speaks between 160-200 words per minute, however our mind is capable of processing 4-5 times as many words in that same length of time. Thus making it very easy for us to begin thinking about other things. We live in a fast paced world where often we are all watching television, cooking dinner, and listening to the kids at one time.
This fast pace makes it difficult to effectively listen to what a client is saying. People make the assumption that it is easy to listen, and it isn’t- listening requires constant concentration. When you are actively listening, people want to listen to what you have to say when it is your turn to talk, thus establishing rapport and ultimately, increasing sales.
So, how do we as sales staff get better? First, know your product/service so well that you can listen intently rather than thinking about what you are going to say next. Try to wait at least 3 seconds before responding, this will demonstrate that you are listening and reflecting on what they’ve shared with you. Be sure to log pertinent information into your CRM product.
Second, concentrate on just listening. Don’t try to solve the problem before they have completed presented what their issues are. By focusing you may surprise yourself and come up with solutions that you wouldn’t have come up with if you had cut them short. In a sales situation, by cutting the prospect’s time short you may be leaving money on the table that has not be discovered.
Third, ask good questions and utilize your CRM. Use open ended questions to learn as much as you can about a prospect. By using paraphrasing and summaries, you will demonstrate that you are listening to the customer. Taking notes and using CRM Software during your interaction will also force you to listen well and show the prospect that you care enough to write down what they are saying.
Fourth, eye contact, non verbal cues and mannerisms are important. Don’t stare but show that you are engaged with the prospect by leaning in and nodding your head. These subtle non verbal cues can have a big impact on how you are perceived by the prospect.
Finally, good listening skills are critical especially in sales. If a customer knows that you are listening and have a sincere interest in solving their problem that they will more than likely be interested and intent on listening to what you have to say. Using CRM and opening up your customers is the key to solving their problems, so simply ask and listen and you’ll be amazed at the results!
