There's an old saw that cuts something like this:
"We're born with two ears and one mouth, so we should
listen twice as much as we speak." But that's just not
enough for the supersalesperson. Harris believes great salespeople
spend 80 percent of their time listening to their clients,
processing each tidbit quickly. "They can recall and use
information heard two or three minutes earlier in the conversation
to move the sales discussion forward," says Harris.
Simultaneously, supersalespeople peel away the layers of the
conversation. They pay particular attention to what's in the
background. Behind their words, clients reveal critical information
that goes beyond their wants and needs-to their abilities. Are they
buyers? Filters? Influencers? Magennis says supersalespeople can
hear whether there's potential to develop sales growth or
long-term relationships.
Being a good listener doesn't require superpowers. Why?
It's a learned behavior. Some 90 percent of all successful
salespeople start out as poor listeners, says Magennis, but they
learn to modify their behavior.
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More Than Lip Service
Salespeople are frequently seen as mouthing meaningless platitudes
or phony camaraderie. It's a bad rap, especially for the
supersalesperson. In truth, the mouth lubricates the sales
process-not by telling but by eliciting. A quality salesperson
knows how to draw the customer out.
"The supersalesperson is able to instantly build a rapport
with people," says Sapio. "I call it the three-second
rule. Within the first three seconds of a salesperson's
conversation, the customer will decide whether there's a
rapport."
After rapport comes discovery. "Salespeople get paid by the
questions they ask," Hickey remembers hearing once. Good
questions elicit the true objections and needs of the prospect. For
example, the supersalesperson might ask: "If we were to meet
three years from today, what would you want to have happened to you
personally and professionally?"
Magennis says if there's no answer, then that relationship
has limited potential. Silence has meaning. "The customer
doesn't see the salesperson in his or her life in three years
helping solve problems." So the salesperson is unlikely to
establish a relationship that drives sales.
And knowing when to shut up is one quality that Hickey says is
critical to the oral tradition of sales.
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