Coffee's for Closers

15Listening

‘Energy flows where energy grows – focus on what you want, not what you don’t want’.

—Tony Robbins

I mentioned at the beginning of this book about Pareto's law that as a sales professional, we should be listening 80% of the time and only speaking 20% of the time. Although this is the ideal model, in reality, it can be challenging, especially when the prospect has many questions for you. So there are ways to practice and develop your listening, as it's a skill in itself.

A Smart Salesperson Listens to Emotions, Not Facts

Imagine an iceberg when describing communication: only about 20% of the iceberg is visible, and 80% is below the surface. When you listen to facts, you are hearing 20% of what someone is communicating to you. When you listen to emotions, you are paying attention to the other 80%.

Listen to what is not said, that is, if a client says, ‘I can't use this product’, is the prospect saying they do not know how to use it, they do not want to use it or they have another product in mind?

If a client says, ‘We have found such systems don't work very well’ Who are ‘we’? What does work well? What has worked better in the past?

Limit the Time You Speak

Research has shown that prospects have an attention span that lasts about 30 seconds. TV advertisers have known for a long time that if their ads last more than 30 seconds, people will go for a cup of coffee or change the channel. As a rule, never talk for more than 30–45 seconds without asking, ‘Any comments ...