Increase your business by asking better questions and listening to the answers more closely.
One of the first sales gurus I looked up to was Dale Carnegie, the man who became a legend for classic books including How to Win Friends and Influence People. In his very simple and unassuming manner he works through many extremely valuable techniques for becoming a better communicator. Ironically one of his most important observations is that the world’s greatest communicators are exceptional listeners and I agree wholeheartedly.
Today we live in a crazy, fast-paced world. We are the centre of our own little universe and, in more ways than one, it is all about ‘me’. People tend not to listen as well as they could, simply because they are preoccupied with a million other things.
If you want to improve your sales immediately, learn to listen. Customers desperately want people to listen to them. They want to be able to explain what it is they want and they hope that the sales person they are talking to can provide what they want. How many times have you ordered something only to have it arrive and find that it is wrong? And the reason it is wrong is that the sales person simply wasn’t paying attention when you made the purchase.
Start by asking good questions.
Becoming a listening guru is the fastest and most effective way to sell more of anything. So how do you do it? First, you have to learn how to ask good questions, those that will give you the information that will enable you to give the customer exactly what they want. For many sales people this is the hardest part. They don’t know what to ask, so they let the customer ramble on, hoping that they are explaining their needs. Second, you have to learn to be a great listener. Combine the two skills and not only will your sales success change but so will your life.
The power of listening and buying a new car.
A while back I had to buy a new car. This meant that I had to go through the dreaded process of trying to decide what car I wanted, spending hours (if not days) looking at a ridiculous number of cars, being stalked by zealous sales people and so on.
So with some trepidation I set out on a Saturday morning, dressed like I had just come out of the slums of Calcutta, and started doing the rounds of the car yards. Most sales people ignored me, which was my plan, giving me time to look at a number of cars I had short-listed. But sadly once I had looked over the cars, now that I wanted attention, the best I could get was someone pointing towards a brochure rack and telling me to help myself (this is the topic of another Bullet in the future – never judge a book by its cover).
My last stop was at an Audi dealership. I thought that these cars would be out of my price range, especially the model I liked, but I went in anyway and got ready to be ignored. The first thing that happened was that I was warmly welcomed by several staff members. Then a salesman came and introduced himself to me and invited me into his office. We spent an hour talking—about me and what I needed in a car. He asked intelligent questions regarding my driving habits, the number of people I carried, the length of the trips that I took, and so on.
At the end of the session he recommended two models. Then he suggested we go for a drive in both to get a feel for them. As we drove, he pointed out the features, basing his conversation on my needs and the information I had given him. He was an exceptional salesman. Both cars were fantastic but I particularly liked the bigger one. At this stage we hadn’t even talked price but I ended up buying the more expensive car. I spent $30,000 more than my initial budget and I absolutely love my car. I could have been sold an expensive car at six other dealerships before I got to this Audi dealer but they broke a number of sales rules and didn’t even get to first base.
The point I am making here is that what really sold me on this car was the fact that the salesman asked me smart, informed and logical questions and then he listened to what I had to say. Good business sense? Absolutely. I have recommended at least ten other people to this dealership.
In conclusion.
If you want more business, ask your customers better questions. Then, learn to listen, and I mean really listen, and I guarantee your sales will increase – a lot. In fact, by becoming a listening guru, many aspects of your business will improve.
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