{mosimage}People ask me all the time if there is one characteristic the Top 20% share that insure their success, and I immediately say YES! And it's that the Top 20% are some of the best listeners in the office.

Not only do they actually listen to what their prospects and clients tell them, but they actually hear what they are saying. And as you Top Closers know, if you truly listen, your prospect will always tell you exactly what you must do or say to help them buy.

So what is the one thing you can do to improve your listening skills? It's easy. Simply get in the habit of writing down the key words or phrases your prospects say when they are answering your questions or discussing their situation.

By actually doing this, you'll accomplish several things. First, if you're actively writing down what they are saying, you will be forced to truly listen as they speak.

Second, and this is crucial, by writing down the keywords or phrases your prospects use, you'll be able to feed these back to them during your closing presentation. The benefit here is that you'll be speaking directly to their to your "prospect's listening" because these are the words and phrases that mean the most to them.

This technique establishes rapport, builds trust, and ensures that your sales presentation is most properly aligned with what is important to this particular prospect.

Believe me, this is one of the most powerful (and easiest!) techniques you can ever develop, and you can start using it today.

I encourage you to begin developing this habit and to get into the practice of writing down and using your prospect's words and phrases. Not only will you become a better listener, but you'll become a top 20% producer as well.

I wish you all the best this week as you focus on improving your listening skills, and let me know how it works for you!