The Art of Listening

There are three reasons to keep your mouth shut and your ears open while selling. First, you don't want to miss prospects saying yes. Second, you need to hear their questions, modifications and concerns. Finally, you don't want to talk yourself out of the sale. The sales adage "He who talks first, loses" is generally true, but not for the reason most people think. You're not engaged in a power struggle with prospects, which is what this adage implies. Salespeople are likely to lose the sale if they talk first because they constantly jump in with more information. But if you won't shut up and let prospects talk, they can't give you an order.

Excerpted from Creative Selling: Boost your B2B sales