Five Minutes to Better Listening

1. Listen With All Of Your Senses

Human beings have five senses: hearing, touch, smell, sight and taste. Focus each of your senses completely and totally on your prospect’s words and underlying messages. During your presentations, avoid such distractions as doodling (touch and sight) or chewing gum (smell, taste and touch). Focus all of your senses on your prospect and you’ll hear more messages to help you sell.

2. Take Notes

To help you remember what went on during the sales call, take notes of personal data, important comments and areas for additional probing. Refer to your notes during the call and on future calls.

3. Encourage People To Tell You Their Story

Most people would love to share their personal success story with you. Let them share their trials and tribulations as they admit you to their inner circle of trusted advisors.

4. Encourage Talking With Verbal Feedback

Tell your prospects you’re listening and you want them to continue. How? With such phrases as good, I see, uh-huh, and go on. These phrases are called prompts or cues. They are short messages indicating that you hear their words, understand their message and want them to keep going.

5. Ask Questions

Questions tell your prospect that you are interested in her and what she wants and needs. Asking questions allows you to control the direction and momentum of the discussion. Answering your questions is how your prospects will reveal their most important needs and how they want to be sold.

After you’ve reviewed these five listening improvement tips, make two copies. Place one copy in your tickler file for review in 30 days and assign the other to your 60-day file. By repetitive review and incorporation into your presentations, you’ll improve your listening and your sales.