How Effective Salespeople Listen Better

When you can listen to your customers—I mean really listen—you gain a competitive edge over salespeople who lack this critical business sales training communication skill.

By listening attentively, you can assess more accurately what your customers are saying, what they want, and what they need. Then you are in a position to provide more desirable and effective solutions.

The difficulty is in listening effectively. As listeners we are easily distracted, thinking ahead to the next step in the conversation and unlikely to remember even 50% of what was said!

Try these tips for listening with greater focus:

1. Keep your goal in mind. Remember that this is your opportunity to discover what you need to know about your customer’s situation. Until you know what they want, you will be unable to satisfy their need.
2. Be an active, rather than a passive, participant in the conversation. Ask questions to clarify and confirm your understanding.
3. Jot down notes to help you focus and to remind you later of critical points.

As you hone your listening skills, both you and your customers will benefit.