There’s a difference between listening to someone and listening FOR something.
Think about your last sales conversation. You asked a question, and while the prospect was answering, were you listening to everything they said? Or were you listening for the buying signal, the objection, the confirmation that you were on the right track, or perhaps the answer you were afraid they might give?
It’s amazing how much we can miss when we’re busy listening FOR something.
Experienced salespeople know the importance of asking good questions. We spend time learning how to uncover needs, understand buying motivations, and recognize opportunities. Yet sometimes, the very experience that makes us good at selling gets in the way of hearing what’s actually being said.
We recognize a familiar situation and begin anticipating what comes next. We hear something encouraging and start thinking about how to move forward. Or we hear something concerning and immediately begin figuring out how to overcome it.
Meanwhile, the prospect is still talking, and we’re already judging what their answer means.
STOP listening for the answer you want to hear OR the answer you’re afraid to hear.
I know. Easier to SAY than it is to DO!
The challenge is to stop evaluating every answer as good news or bad news while you’re hearing it. Give yourself permission to be curious about what the other person is saying, even when it isn’t what you expected.
You might discover an issue you hadn’t considered, a different priority, or an opportunity you wouldn’t have recognized if you’d been busy waiting for a particular answer.
Your Level UP Listening LYNNSIGHT: In your next sales conversation, ask a question and pay attention. Are you listening to understand, or listening FOR something?
Stop listening for what you want to hear and begin listening to whatever they say.
Believe it or not, you’ll hear MORE opportunity.