Effective Listening = Increased Sales

The world of sales is filled with infinite possibilities, but while opportunity does have a reputation for knocking, it doesn’t always use a heavy hand. If you only listen with your ears, chances are you might not hear what you need to know. Sales professionals are up against some pretty tough competition, and it’s not the flesh and blood variety. Technology has greatly increased consumer choice and just as drastically decreased the need for personal contact. But, while technology may have “ears,” it definitely doesn’t have a heart.

The art of effective listening requires a discipline in which the first rule is to slow down and engage not just your ears, but also your mind, body and heart. The goal is to hear not only what the customer is saying, but also what they’re trying to say—and deliberately not saying—in order to create an empathetic connection. The era of the hard sell is over. In today’s technology obsessed world, you can’t go out selling bells and whistles. You may make a sale, but if it doesn’t meet the customer’s emotional needs, you’ve not only killed the chance of future business, but you risk suffering the viral effects of negative feedback.

Smart sales professionals make a commitment to listening. They find out what the customer really needs and wants before they try and make a sale. And, the results are more than just a satisfied customer and big dividends. A happy customer is also someone who is happy to spread the word that you’re a rare breed of salesperson who really cares. And, this is the kind of reputation that can take you far.

Think back to your most recent conversation. Did you really listen to what the person said? And before you jump in and say, “Sure, I can even repeat their words verbatim,” listen to what is really being asked. You likely heard the words that were spoken, but what about those that went unspoken? No doubt you opened your ears, but did you also open your heart and engage your emotions and intuition to feel what was being said? If not, you weren’t truly listening.

When words sift in through the ears and are only allowed to resonate in the mind, it’s far too easy to allow unproductive listening habits to block out critical information. And once it registers that you aren’t really listening, the customer begins to feel invalidated. Nothing kills a potential sale faster. It takes more than hearing what is being said—you’ve got to feel it.

When you practice effective listening, you deliver a form of respect that establishes trust. Every sales professional should aspire to emotionally engage their customers and to use their heart, as well as their ears towards the goal of making a sale.