Outwit. Outplay. Outlast.

Susan has been doing well in her sales career for many years. She understands how to make cold calls, how to follow up on leads and referrals and how to offer excellent customer service. Yet, she’s amazed at how much more successful her colleague, Michael, is, when she puts much more time and sweat into her work than Michael seems to. She wonders what is missing in her approach— how can she consistently outperform her competition?

The key difference between Michael’s and Susan’s approaches is the fact that Michael has trained himself to be an active listener.

Treat your client/customer with respect and value. Developing rapport with the prospective client/customer is a crucial first step. Listen to what the prospective customer is saying and don’t shuffle papers or start thinking about your response. Just listen to her. Regardless of what the person asks, don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to answer immediately. It’s ok to say, “That’s a great question. Give me a day or so to research our products to find the one that precisely addresses your question.” Some prospective customers can be longwinded, nervously asking a lot of questions, especially with expensive products. Cutting off a speaker may lose you the rapport you need to develop. Always give the speaker the courtesy of finishing a point before you interject yours.

Reflect the meaning of what your client is telling you before you actually respond. The best way to understand your prospective customer is to make sure you are listening carefully and the best way to do that is to reflect or paraphrase what you heard him say before you comment on it. An example is, “What I’m hearing is that you are not certain that our product will serve your needs.”

“I statements” are powerful. As you paraphrase and reflect back what the buyer is saying, you can use “I statements,” which are very powerful. For example, “I am getting the feeling that you are uncomfortable with this product and would like some other options.” For you to start with “You” would be much more threatening for the buyer. “You don’t like this product?”

Understanding what the listener is saying doesn’t mean necessarily agreeing with him. You are simply showing that you are hearing his concerns. Example, “Fred, I hear your concerns because of your last experience with a similar product. Let me get the information you will need to make you feel better about this.” Always acknowledge the speaker and his position before voicing your opinion.
Understand the needs and goals of your client/customer. If you are genuine and sell quality products that will truly satisfy your customer’s needs and desires, the customer will trust you. That includes not selling him the most expensive product if you believe it is not right for him. Nothing gains their trust more than you being honest with him.

Monitor the tone and mannerisms of the prospective customer. Body language is so important that studies point out that only a small percentage of what a listener hears are actually the words of the speaker. Most of what is “heard” by the listener is tone of voice, smiling, facial expressions, vocal inflections, etc. Watch for all of these indices of your customer’s mood and attitude.

Probe gently and with respect. Your job is to try to understand what your prospective client/customer needs and how you can accommodate those needs. The only way to show people that you have exactly the product to satisfy those needs is to ask gentle questions about their goals and hopes (related to your product). An example is, “If you could describe the ideal software to solve your business problems, what would you like it to do for you?”

Help your client feel safe in the conversation. For major purchases, such as insurance policies, automobiles and investment products, clients needs to feel safe discussing specific money issues. Gently probing about personal and family situations that affect a client’s wallet requires them being able to trust you. If you expect them to share their biggest fears and insecurities, you must focus in on what they’re saying, be sensitive and assure them that you will help them to meet their goals.

Summarize. You’d be amazed at how much you show the speaker you are listening by frequently summarizing what you just heard. This will also help you to focus and remember what the speaker is telling you. If you have hit the key points in your summary, the speaker will feel validated and closer to you. If you missed key points that he is trying to convey, he can inform you about that at this time.
Sticking to this sales model will surely bring you your share of triumphs over your competition.

Dr. Jack Singer (www.drjacksinger.com) is a professional speaker, trainer and practicing psychologist. He has been speaking for and training Fortune 1000 companies, associations, CEO’s, sales staffs and elite athletes for 34 years.