I’m about to ask you to THINK…
Think of someone you personally BUY from… do business with… Who do you really LIKE? Who would it be super tough to switch away from?
My example is my mechanic:
Even when he gave me bad news in December, I was glad to hear it… even if I didn’t want to know that my beloved 2006 Subaru WRX failed the NY State safety inspection and the parts alone would cost $2,300.
I appreciated him starting with “I know you love the car, but even I wouldn’t spend the money, so I have to recommend you don’t either.”
Yes, that was super specific – here is my list of why I’m his customer:
- Trust he is telling me the truth
- Believe he will fix problems
- Price is fair
- Wants me as a long-term customer
- Knows what he is doing
NOW think about the person/company you do business with: What would YOU add to that list?
Here is what a bunch of salespeople came up with recently:
- Extremely easy to buy from
- Everything I need / one stop shop
- Understands me and what’s important to me
- Quiet – clean – organized; peaceful to be there
- Quick and Easy
- Friendly, quality service
- Know what I want when I walk in the door
- Reasonable price
- Feel special & important
- Familiarity / comfortable with someone
- Trusted advisor
Then I asked them to FLIP IT – think of a person or business you’ll NEVER do business with again:
- Always changing prices…
- Staff is like a revolving door, I never knew who was going to be helping me
- Rude service
- Commotion, not peaceful and relaxing
- I just don’t feel I can trust they have my best interest in mind
That is what DISSATISFACTION sounds like. THAT is what you’re listening for in your prospecting calls. THOSE are the people who are much more likely to change.
Word Choice & Tone of Voice: although the words your prospects choose to talk about their current situation are certainly important – listening for tone of voice is even more critical to determining someone’s willingness to change.
This to me is why listening is so important to sales success. As they are telling you their story, it’s your responsibility to:
Listen to their words.
Listen for the tone.
Listen as they hint, they’ll be willing to make a change.
All my best,
Lynn
ps: listening is one of the most important skills a person can cultivate (I was going to say salesperson but stopped myself, masterful listening goes WAY beyond sales). Click reply if you’d like my Communication Trilogy or just Question to Listen.
Psst: you can also re-read Are you REALLY listening? or check out the video
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