Most of our prospects think of salespeople as “silver-tongued devils,” to quote a Kris Kristofferson song. It’s because most folks have a negative and stereotypical view of salespeople.
They don’t know that the vast majority of us are just like them: hardworking, honest people who are trying to do the best for ourselves and our families.
Typically, they see us as conniving, fast-talking, dishonest crooks who will say or do anything to make a sale.
“Uh oh, that guy’s going to try and talk me into something I don’t need and that will be a waste of money,” they think.
As a consequence, most salespeople think that the key to being a closer is to learn a polished presentation and a whole bunch of slick closes that trick the prospect into saying yes.
The #1 Skill in All of Sales
The key, unfortunately, to being a good salesperson isn’t knowing how to talk; it’s knowing how to listen.
So many times, I’ve watched salespeople doing all they can to bite their tongues and stay silent long enough for the prospect to shut up so they can start talking again and hit them with their favorite statistic or bullet point.
I’ve seen people completely unaware of what to say or do when the prospect goes off script and tries to turn the presentation into a conversation.
I’ve seen salespeople get asked a simple yes or no question by a prospect and talk for 10 minutes, giving most of the presentation all over again—while never answering the question the prospect asked.
So how do you turn yourself into a good listener?
Ask questions.
The Problem with Most Sales Questions
If you have a good sales presentation, it’s probably full of questions designed to probe for pain or drag information out of the prospect. The problem is, most of these questions sound, well… salesy.
They don’t sound like they’re coming from someone with a deep desire to learn more about them and their unique situation. They sound like they’re traps that you’re inviting the prospect to walk into, especially if you’re using the sales gimmick of trying to get the prospect to say “yes” all the time.
Instead, let the prospect write the questions for you.
A Better Way to Ask Questions
This is a technique that I heard from Zig Ziglar a number of years ago, and I use it all the time. The technique is simply this:
Whenever the prospect makes a vague statement or one that needs to be “unpacked,” the technique is to simply use the prospect’s words against them. Basically, you just take the last few words of the vague statement—or maybe the whole statement if it’s a short one—and repeat it back to the prospect.
Try saying it thoughtfully, as if you’re trying to wrap your head around what they just said.
Prospect: “I never buy on the first call.”
Salesperson: “You never buy on the first call?”
You can also emphasize one word in the sentence:
Prospect: “I’m never going to do that again!”
Salesperson: “You’re NEVER going to do that again?”
You can also give your question a lighthearted touch by smiling and adding volume to your reply.
Prospect: “We tried that before and we lost our shirts!”
Salesperson: “You lost your shirt?!?”
Practice Makes Perfect
The key to this method, though, is that you have to be a good listener. You have to listen intently for the vague sentences, for the scripted replies, and for the statements that need to be “unpacked.”
I encourage you to practice this with your team and try it out in your daily life. Try it with servers at restaurants, your friends, your family.
Once you see the power of this technique, I’m confident it’ll be the go-to method for getting your prospects talking—and for you closing more deals.
If you have any other questions or need further adjustments, feel free to ask!
Pic designed by sarawut200003 for Envato Elements.
Brent Hoodenpyle is a Texas-based digital marketing and sales specialist with over twenty years experience working with a wide range of companies to improve their digital stats and revenue.