Are you listening? Part 3

listening skills in salesI hope you enjoyed the videos in parts 1 and 2 of this post on listening. We know that listening can be hard – but losing a sale is even harder.

Sometimes we get so excited about our products and services that we just can’t stop talking. I know. It’s difficult. Been there, done that. We are eager to jump in when a client mentions a problem before we give him a chance to finish.

The key takeaways from the videos are you must be patient. Relax. Take your time. You are not a snake oil salesman trying to make a quick buck before running out of town. The good news is that listening is a skill you can learn.

Below are some great books to help you further in developing your listening skills –

Power Listening: Mastering the Most Critical Business Skill of All, by Bernard T. Ferrari

Listening: The Forgotten Skill: A Self-Teaching Guide, by Madelyn Burley-Allen

Active Listening 101: How to Turn down your Volume to Turn up your Communication Skills, by Emilia Hardman

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People do Differently, by John C. Maxwell

Please let me know if you have any recommendations.

Are you listening? Part 2

In part 1 of my post, I shared with you two videos from sales experts on the importance of having good listening skills. Below are two more videos to help you.

Victor Antonio, a sales expert, and speaker says the key to successful selling is listening. By listening, you make the prospect feel good about him, and in turn, he wants to be around you more.

Here is his video –

Michael Kies, Real Estate Sales, Trainer, and Sales Coach, outlines 12 steps below on how to be a better listener.

Here is his video –

Are you listening? Part 1

The greatest skill in selling isn’t talking – it’s listening.

Think about it. What do your prospects and clients like to do? Talk. They want to talk about their problems. You, on the other hand, would like to talk about your products and services. Well, that’s OK. But before you start talking, shouldn’t you listen first? I mean, rather than do a product dump, and tell everyone how great your products are, shouldn’t you first find out what the prospect actually wants? How are you going to do that?

By listening.

Below and in the next couple of posts are YouTube videos from experts on their take on how to be better listeners.

Gerry Layo, speaker, and sales coach argues that listening is a skill that you can learn. He makes the point that it’s the dialogue not monologue that will help you get sales.

Here is his video –

Dan Caramanico, author, and sales coach advises salespeople not to jump the gun when speaking to prospects.

Here is his video –