“Are you Listening?”

Submitted by Mitch Seigel on Sun, 10/3/2010

As a salesperson, years ago I was told that I have two ears and one mouth, so listening should be done about 67% of the time. After taking to heart this word of advice from one of my former sales supervisor’s, I came to realize over time that he was actually wrong. We not only have two ears and one mouth, we also have two eyes. I really believe that we should be listening 80% of the time.

The ironic thing I’ve noticed, and see quite regularly, is that about 80% of salespeople ignore listening to their prospective clients and go right into the pitch of the features and benefits of their products or services, prior to knowing if their prospect’s needs match what their company has to offer. Part of this is due to pressure from their supervisor to reach their monthly and quarterly goals, but most is a direct result from the salesperson’s lack of training.

Ironically, because most salespeople approach their prospects in the wrong way, going for the close before they’ve discovered what their prospect is all about, if you do approach a prospect in the correct way, listening before proposing, the prospect grows impatient and expects you to pitch sooner than later. A brief explanation of the sales process to the prospect will make sense to most.

Several companies have designed needs assessment forms for their staff members to use in the field. However, reality is that most salespeople are cutting corners and skipping this step, or are not adequately asking the questions needed for success. In addition, while some are asking the questions their company suggests, they are not really listening. One of the keys to effective listening is follow up questions to the answers given. Some of the most important information comes out in the follow up.

One easy way to learn to listen more effectively is to watch some television talk shows. Believe it or not but Jay Leno, David Letterman and Oprah Winfrey can be your best teachers, offering quick responses to their guests, as they move from one question to the next. They have a plan, to expose interesting information to their viewers, and to do it in the few minutes allotted for each show segment.

If you have any questions about how much you should listen during a conversation, just take a close look in the mirror. Count them. Two ears, two eyes and only one mouth. And ask yourself, “Am I listening?”

Until next time…