Selling to Anyone Over the Phone, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 6Listening and Presenting

PHONE SALES CHALLENGE – Matt, a commercial carpet salesman, had this complaint: “Sometimes I tell customers all the great stuff about our line, and they don’t say anything. Others talk and talk and I’m bored out of my mind.”

Good salespeople—no, the best salespeople—are able to pick up on layers of customer needs, customer personality types, possible objections, and the timing of a close, all on the phone, simply by listening intently. Admittedly, this is a two-part process: focusing sharply enough to catch all the subtle as well as the direct messages the customer sends, and then processing those messages into the best presentation strategy to close the sale.

So, we listen in order to present well, not the other ...