Speak not. . .sell a lot

by Al Auger

Are you making the money you are capable of earning? Are you getting all you can out of your relationships? Are you reaching your true potential? If not, then it may be time to try a new approach to getting what you want. Whether in business or personal relationships, many times it’s what you don’t say that propels you to success. That’s right – your ability to actively listen and detect the other party’s non-verbal communication cues often determines whether your relationships grow to prosperity or wither into the deep dark abyss.

What causes today’s communication challenges? Many people get caught up in the rat race, which leads them to rush their conversations and lose sales and relationships. By simply changing the way you communicate (what you say as well as when you say it), you can gain more sales and develop better relationships.

When you become aware of the common but negative communication habits many people use and take the steps to change them, you will create the sales results you desire. The following communications guidelines will lead you to success.

Stop selling
Too many people become overly focused on making the sale happen. In fact, in most motivational meetings and seminars, we hear the words “make things happen.” All this trying to make things happen leads to the self-absorbed sale.

Instead of forcing the sale to happen, stop selling and become genuinely interested in your prospects’ activities, needs and wants. Get your prospects talking about themselves, about their business, and most important, about your competitors.

Solve problems
To keep your prospects talking, ask them key questions that will get them to open up to you. 

You may ask:
• What do you like and dislike about your current product or service provider?
• What do you like and dislike about our products or services?
• What’s the most important aspect of your current challenge that you need resolved immediately?

The goal is to get your prospects to tell you exactly what they want and need from you. Get them to detail how they envision you helping them. You can then use that information to highlight your product or service to best show how it will solve their problem.

Paraphrase for a better understanding
Renee Brokaw, a communications instructor at the University of Central Florida, tells her students, “Paraphrasing ensures accurate communication and effective negotiating.” 

By repeating in your own words what the other person has said and posing it as a question, you can convey your understanding of the concept. 

For example, you may say, “Let me see if I understand. Are you saying. . .?” or “What you mean is. . .” or “What I hear you saying is. . .” As a result, an unambiguous conversation will develop as the other party either confirms your understanding to be correct or explains more fully his or her position.

Seek out the pleasure points
People instinctively move toward things that provide the most pleasure and away from things that provide the most pain. For example, we all get great pleasure from eating something sweet, whether it be candy or cake. That’s why obesity and diabetes are on the rise.

Conversely, exercise provides pain, and therefore many people avoid it. Business transactions are the same. We move toward the items in the transaction that are beneficial to us and away from those that are not. The trick is to actively listen long enough so you can learn what will give your prospects pleasure, then take the actions to deliver it.

Read body language
Body language often reveals more about what a person is thinking and may provide you with the key to closing the sale. 

For example, if the prospect can’t look at you while speaking, he may be hiding something. If she is fidgeting in her chair, it may show you that she is uncomfortable with the conversation. If the prospect is sitting forward on the edge of the chair, you may have his attention.

Learn to read such non-verbal clues so you can change your sales strategy and get the results you want.

Avoid common communication crushers
Many sales never materialize because salespeople state their ideas by using communication crushers. For example, a response to an idea or suggestion that starts with an emphatic “NO!” and follows with “I have a better idea” will demolish your chances of continuing to receive input from the other party. 

A better approach is to say, “That sounds great. How about building on that with_____.” 

Another communication crusher comes when salespeople say, “OK, I am done” as a way to end a meeting. This often leaves the remainder of the participants feeling dismissed.

Instead you can say, “Is there anything else we need to cover?” or  “Would anyone else like to add anything?” If the prospect attempts to end the meeting with a dismissal statement and you still have more to contribute, state your thoughts by saying, “Before we end, I would like to take a moment to add one more item.” Then state your item.

Active listening and effective communication skills are the two most important features to sales success. So, if your sales results are not what you’d like them to be, perhaps a little silence and some good listening are in order for your next presentation. Very often, knowing what to say and what not to say will lead you to reach your sales and relationship goals.

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