Top performing salespeople know the value of responsiveness. Effective communication is an integral part of any successful sales situation, and in order to communicate even marginally, you must respond well to what your prospect is saying to you. Here are some fundamental, yet essential ideas that may help you to maximize your responsiveness and your listening skills.
Simply paying attention is the first step in becoming more responsive to your prospect. By merely paying attention, you will be able to better understand what your prospect is telling you that he or she wants, needs, wants to improve or solve. Then you will also be better able to continue your presentation with appropriate information related to the way in which your product or service can serve your prospect's needs.
Just realizing how costly your inattention can be is another great step on the way to your becoming more responsive to your prospects. A lack of attention can cause confusion, mistakes and added conflict all of which will in turn cost time. And...as old as it is, "Time is Money."
Active listening will help you to better respond to what your prospect is really saying and actually meaning. Active listening involves the process of translating what you hear. If you listen actively, then you will know exactly what your prospect is saying he or she wants or needs. This active listening will help you to better explain the ways that your product or service can be of value to that prospect.
Being an attentive listener is closely related to being an active listener. Listening attentively involves truly getting into what the prospect is telling you. There are lots of ways that you can improve your ability to listen attentively.
Here are just a few:
- Be open and receptive
- Listen from the first sentence
- Analyze what is being said
- Never interrupt, but always be interruptible
- Ask questions
- Log important points that are said
- Block out distractions
- Be responsive (involving your body in showing that you are paying attention)
- Stay cool no matter what the prospect says or does.
Being observant is another way that you can become more responsive. By truly tuning into your prospect's nonverbal communication, tone of voice, speed of speaking and facial movement, you will be able to respond to them better. Clearly, you will be able to respond in more appropriate ways when you have observed and understood what your prospect really wants or needs.
Seeking to understand, and not just assuming what your prospect means by what he or she says is another way that you can improve your responsiveness. In order to truly understand what your prospect is saying, ask questions. Because the 500 most commonly used words in the English language have over 14,000 meanings, it will really pay off for you to ask what your prospect means by anything that you don't understand or feel unsure about.
Two of the most common barriers to communication and responsiveness include haste and the fatal "top this" syndrome. Haste can cause you, as a salesperson, to fail to take time to truly understand what's going on in the mind of your prospect. When you're in a hurry, you will make basic mistakes such as assuming the wrong things or failing to let your prospect finish what he or she is saying. The "top this" syndrome, on the other hand, is the practice of always getting a "one up" on everything your prospect says.
Unfortunately, far too many people are guilty of this. Try to keep yourself from being one of those people. These two barriers to effective communication and responsiveness must be overcome at any cost or they will cost you a great deal.
Responsiveness is a necessary skill for any salesperson who intends to excel. The very first step to being more responsive, paying attention, is the most important one. Realizing the cost of inattention is also indispensable if you hope to better respond to your prospect.
Next, actively listening can help you respond better to your prospect because this manner of listening improves your ability to understand what your prospect needs or wants. Attentive listening is much the same as active listening, and if you follow the nine tips to becoming an attentive listener, you will surely improve in this department. Being observant is also invaluable for any salesperson who hopes to become more responsive. By observing your prospect better, you will be able to respond in a more appropriate way.
Finally, avoiding the barriers to effective communication will help you improve your responsiveness and your income!
