© Rick Becker-leckrone | Dreamstime.com

I believe that the earning potential for a salesperson is directly linked to the quality of his or her active listening skills. To listen closely and reply well is the highest perfection we are able to attain in the art of selling. An ancient Chinese proverb reminds us: “To listen well is as powerful a means of influence as to talk well.” While everyone can benefit from this sage advice, these words of wisdom are particularly appropriate for professional salespeople. No independent sales representative has ever listened himself out of a sale.

Would you consider yourself to be a good listener? How would your customers, business associates, friends, and family members rate your listening ability? Their feedback just might surprise you, because most people believe they’re much better listeners than they truly are.

Poor listeners frequently confuse the physical act of hearing with the emotional art of listening. While hearing is a function of biology, active listening skills must be acquired and developed. In the selling process, when you talk you merely provide information, but when you genuinely listen you show respect, create trust, and develop rapport. Unfortunately, our educational system places great emphasis on speaking and writing, but not on the important skill of active listening. For example, I have a good friend with a Ph.D. who speaks three languages fluently, but can’t listen worth a hoot. The good news is that it is never too late to begin working on improving your active listening skills — from the kitchen table to the sales table.

Active listening is making a conscious effort to hear your customer’s words as well as to try and understand the total message being sent, both verbally and nonverbally. It requires you to listen not only with your ears, but also with your eyes. It’s important to monitor your customer’s body language gestures and look for congruency between his or her words, posture, movement, and tone of voice.

Are you able to stay focused on your customer or does your mind wander? By giving your customer your full and undivided attention, you’re not only showing respect, but you’re also laying a foundation of trust and building rapport. Discipline your mind and put aside distracting thoughts. Each time you catch your mind starting to wander, “grab it” and immediately refocus your attention back to your customer.

The best salespeople have a tendency to listen like a homicide detective and ask great probing questions to gain understanding and promote conversation. They don’t make assumptions, they summarize and seek clarity. An occasional question or comment to recap what has been said communicates that you understand the message. Until this is done, your customer will resist your input.

If you would like to improve your sales effectiveness, consider incorporating the following active listening tips into your sales presentation.

• Face your customer and give him or her your complete and undivided attention.
• Show your attentiveness through your body language by sitting up straight, maintaining good eye contact, uncrossing your legs, unfolding your arms, and leaning forward slightly.
• Minimize distractions by turning off your cell phone.
• Respond appropriately to show that you understand by nodding your head in agreement.
• Encourage your customer to give you more information by using open-ended questions such as, “How did you feel when that happened?”
• Keep an open mind and don’t jump to any conclusions or make assumptions. Wait until your customer has finished speaking before deciding that you disagree.
• Don’t interrupt your customer when he or she is speaking.
• Ask questions for clarification and periodically summarize comments. Paraphrase your customer’s key statements to make sure you didn’t misunderstand his or her point of view. Start with: “So if I’m hearing you correctly, you’re saying….”

Where communication is poor, mistakes increase, relationships break down, and opportunities to make the sale are missed! If you want to enhance your professional image, strengthen relationships, and dramatically improve your sales effectiveness, I encourage you to listen while you work.

“I only wish I could find an institute that teaches people how to listen. Business people need to listen at least as much as they need to talk. Too many people fail to realize that real communication goes in both directions.” — Lee Iacocca

© Omers | Dreamstime.com

Are You A Bridge Builder?

Over the years, I have been fortunate to have had many people come into my life and take the time to mentor and guide me along my career path. Mentors, like bridge builders, help people go from where they are to where they want to be. Mentors build their bridges not with concrete and steel girders, but with words of wisdom and encouragement. Mentors don’t build bridges for the sake of personal recognition or financial gain, they build because it is in their very nature to encourage, assist, and support others along the path of life.

Mentors are selfless people who go out of their way to invest their time, talent, and energy helping others navigate around the pitfalls of inexperience and poor judgment. Mentors tend to show up when they are needed the most and are quick to lend a hand. They understand the importance of sincere praise and the power of a timely kind word.

In 1954, during her junior year, a professor invited Carol Burnett and some other students to perform at a party the college was hosting. After Carol had finished her musical number, a man from the audience approached her and introduced himself. He complimented Carol on her talented performance and asked about her future plans. When he discovered that her desire was to go to New York and try her luck with musical comedy, but she didn’t have enough money, he offered her a $5,000 interest-free loan on the spot. Before he would give Carol the money, the man made it clear to her that he had three conditions for the loan. The money would be paid back within five years, she would never reveal his name as her benefactor, and if she became successful, she would help others in the attainment of their dreams just as she had been helped by him. Carol agreed to the conditions for the loan and took him up on his generous offer. She left college and moved to New York to pursue her acting career — and the rest, as they say, is history!

As a boy, I recall reading a poem under the glass on my father’s desk entitled, “The Bridge Builder” by Allen Dromgoole. This insightful poem and its powerful message of mentorship have served me well over the years and provides a great example for all of us to emulate. If you’re a bridge builder, congratulations, the world is a far better place because of the positive impact you make in the lives of others. Have you built any bridges lately?

The Bridge Builder

An old man, going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fear for him;
But he turned, when safe on the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim, near,
“You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again will pass this way;
You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide —
Why build you this bridge at the evening tide?”

The builder lifted his old gray head:
“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,
“There followeth after me today,
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm, that has been naught to me,
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him.”