- Do not interrupt
Do not take for granted that you know what the other person is trying to say
and break in with your own explanation.
Do not cut people off before they have completed what they have to say.
This is their chance to communicate. This is the time when you should be
listening and learning, not talking.Cultivate the habit of listening intently to everything your prospects say. You
owe them this courtesy and it is your best means of discerning what stands
between you and a sale.
Listening provides the principle source of the feedback you need for measuring
how your sales effort is progressing and then adjusting it as needed.
Prospects sometimes hear only what they want to hear. They may turn a
deaf ear to new ideas that conflict with their current beliefs or past
experiences.
Resolve this by patient persistence and by pointing out that, they may be
depriving themselves of valuable opportunities.- People do not always say what they think or what they mean. This
sometimes-unconscious behavior may be used to divert the thrust of your
sales effort or to avoid making a decision.
If you suspect this is happening, probe gently to discover whether your
prospects are expressing their real reasons for resisting your sales efforts and
adjust your tactics accordingly.
Diligent effort is the only route to acquire skills at penetrating the barriers to
good communication and turning them into sales opportunities.