The Biggest Myth in Sales

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The Biggest Myth in Sales

Written by Maura Schreier-Fleming

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Are You Listening?

Recently, a window company rep called me and asked if I was interested in having a free, no-obligation sales call. I explained that we had replaced all our windows five years ago and that I was not interested. She got very annoyed and was adamant that I must want to replace some of the windows. I said, “Call me back in 15 years. I might be ready then.” In a sarcastic voice she said, “I'll call you back in 15 years.” And then hung up on me!

How do you listen to a prospect?

Do you focus on the person and their words?
What is their body language?
What do their eyes say?

This may seem obvious, but you need to listen intently to your customer or prospect and not be distracted by your own thoughts. I find that taking notes helps me focus, and means that I have a record of the conversation later so I can make sure I didn't miss anything.

It is hard to listen intently to someone. However you owe it to yourself and your customer as you will gain an insight into their world. If you employ this technique at a first meeting, you'll learn whether you're meeting with someone who is going to do business with you. When you take notes, stop and confirm that you've heard and recorded the conversation correctly. It has been documented that in negotiation sessions that 90% of what gets written down is incorrect. If you are not writing things down and getting conformation, then you run the risk that much of what you think you've heard is wrong.

Listen for what the person wants. Listen for what they are not saying. Listen for what is important to them, personally and for their business. Too often sales people come to a meeting and only want to push their products on people. The window sales person was desperate and needed an order and was upset with me that I was not willing to replace perfectly good windows. If she was a good sales person she would have thanked me for my time and moved on to someone who needed windows. Instead she got angry and probably played out the same call with others for the balance of her day.

How interested are you?
Genuine interest in the person you're talking with will be reflected by discovering what is important to them and what they value. Once you know what they want and value (and have confirmed this with them!), you can now begin to share the value of your products. Or, you can let them know—at the moment—you can't provide what they want. Either way you win the deal.

You can be an active bystander if you are not careful. You'll be in the room nodding your head and participating and yet when the meeting finishes you'll have no notes, can’t remember the reason for the meeting, and are rushing off to the next “important” meeting, just as unprepared. In these cases I always ask a rep:

• How interested are you in your success?
• If you're not engaged in meetings with prospects/clients how will you be successful?

It is your responsibility to take interest in your business and your clients and prospects.

Sayers says:
• How are you listening?
• Are you truly engaged in listening or are you an active bystander?
• Are you taking notes at your meetings?
• Did you confirm your notes (or are you working with 10% accurate information)?
• How do you prepare to be a great listener?
• Are you desperate for the order or are you relaxed and focused on providing what is most valuable to your prospect or customer?

Did you hear the one about great salespeople being great talkers? They have the gift of gab and they dazzle their customers into buying anything. Some salespeople even believe it. It’s the biggest myth in sales. Here’s how it got started and why it is a myth.

News travels fast. The poor salesman seems to leave a more lasting impression on the customer than the great salesperson, who makes selling look easy. Poor salespeople get remembered for their excessive talking and the word gets around. The myth is born.

These poor salespeople start talking about all they know the moment the sales call begins. They want to impress the customer with all their knowledge, thinking that selling is one-sided. Selling starts when you learn what your customer knows. Only when you hear what your customer needs should you start talking about your product or service. To really give yourself enough to work with, you should hear 3 needs before you begin your presentation. The way to do this is to question and listen.

Looks like I’m not doing anything. Some salespeople think they are selling and doing something only if they are talking. You are doing something when you actively listen. There are actual physiological changes in the body. Body temperature, heart rate and blood flow slightly increase with active listening.

A good listener focuses on the speaker and tries to determine what the speaker means. A good listener wants to gather clues about the speaker’s message without judging. Try to gather clues about the speaker’s feelings behind his message. Paying attention to nonverbal communication will give you more clues that you can use.

Enter with an open mind, ready to hear what your customer has to say about his business and job. Even though we know what we want to say in our selling message, we have to be flexible and respond to what our customers tell us. Selling is not a random event. Have several alternatives ready to provide solutions that meet your customer’s needs.

Your job as a listener continues with providing feedback to the customer to check your understanding of his message. The feedback shows the customer what you’ve heard. This gives you an opportunity to correct any misunderstandings. It’s also an opportunity to build a stronger communication bond when the salesperson taps into the customer’s correct emotions.

The salesman’s job as a listener is to translate what we hear from our customers into how our products and services can help them. Selling starts with our customers, not with us. If we’re talking and not listening, we’ll miss the clues. The myth of the salesman being a great talker got started by poor salespeople. Unfortunately, the great salespeople have to deal with this myth. Maybe they can address this myth while they’re off golfing. That’s another great myth.

Maura Schreier-Fleming
		About the author:
		Maura Schreier-Fleming is president of Best@Selling. She works with business and sales professionals on skills and strategies so they can sell more and be more productive at work. She is the author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Result and Monday Morning Sales Tips. Clients include the Houston Texans, UPS, Chevron and numerous trade associations. She speaks internationally at business conferences about sales and business. You can reach her at 972.380.0200 or info@Bestatsellling.com. .