Is it possible to sell faster by talking less?
Absolutely.
When sellers rely more on listening — active listening to be specific — their ability to understand client needs throughout the sales process accelerates. This not only gives sellers an edge in crafting unique solutions for each client, but it also helps sellers discern early on if a client is the right fit for their product before investing large amounts of time with them.
Active listening is a skill that can be learned and benefits both sellers and clients alike.
There are two broad categories of listening — passive and active.
Passive listening, as its name suggests, is taking in the words someone is saying but not really paying attention to the meaning of what is being communicated. It’s roughly synonymous with hearing.
In sales, passive listening takes place when a seller is hearing the words being spoken and waiting for the prospect to pause so they can jump in and talk.
Active listening, on the other hand, takes an intentional approach to listening, observing nonverbal cues, and providing feedback to the speaker to show the message was received and understood. The goal of active listening is to learn.
When a seller is focused on what a prospect is saying, and reflects back the key points to confirm they understand correctly, they are engaged in active listening.
Active listening has a positive impact on both the seller (the listener) and the prospect (the speaker).
For sellers, active listening helps them:
For prospects, working with a seller who practices active listening helps them:
The average person speaks at a rate of 125 words per minute, while the human brain has the capacity to understand 400 words per minute. Since listening uses only a fraction of our mental capacity, our minds can easily wander if we're not focused on the words, meaning, and emotions being expressed.
Active listening requires much more than just our ears. Maintaining eye contact while the prospect is speaking, keeping an open body posture, and nodding to show understanding are all ways to engage the rest of your body while listening.
A key component of active listening is letting the speaker know what they are saying is being heard and valued. An effective way to do this is by providing feedback to them that shows understanding.
o “I heard you say that x is really challenging for your business this year. How has that been for you?”
o “It sounds like x, y, z, are the main challenges for you right now. Did I get that right?”
o “Let me make sure I understand what you are saying…”
For many sellers, there is a natural temptation to interrupt a client to share about product features or benefits you can offer them as they are describing their problems. Instead of interjecting, what might happen if you asked a clarifying question instead?
o “When did you first notice this problem?”
o “Have you found anything that has helped with this problem?”
o “Can you tell me more about this problem?”
An estimated 93% of our communication is conveyed through facial expressions and tone of voice. When practicing active listening with a prospect, pay attention to when they are excited or have a lot of energy in their words. Conversely, take note of times in the conversation where their energy or facial expressions drop — those are important signals to help you understand all of what they are saying, or not saying.
With a little practice, any seller can become more adept at active listening and add one more tool to their selling process. For more tips on how to ask questions, check out these 3 tips.