ACTIVE LISTENING AS A SALES SKILL
If you've ever suspected that the best sales people are doing something you aren't
, then you're right. No, you don't need to pay thousands of dollars for sales bootcamps or seminars to learn some esoteric secret. One of the most important selling skills there is can be learned in just a few minutes and mastered with practice on the job.
In this article, you'll learn a bit about the meaning and origins of Active Listening and where to go to if you want to learn more.
WHO COINED THE TERM?
The term "Active Listening" was originated by the clinical psychologist Dr. Thomas Gordon in his book, "Leader Effectiveness Training." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Gordon_(psychologist). He was a colleague and student of Dr. Carl Rogers- who's theories and therapeutic methods are now part of the psychology course load of any major university or college.
While Dr. Rogers confined himself to the academic and clinical worlds, Dr. Gordon made popular Active Listening for educators, leaders, and sales people with his "Gordon Method."
These days, you can't crack open a sales manual or book without seeing some application or other of Active Listening- even if it isn't described as such.
WHAT IS ACTIVE LISTENING?
In essence, while you engage in Active Listening you decrease your side of the conversation and instead encourage the other party to continue talking with phrases such as, "go on," "tell me more," and the infamous, "how does that make you feel?"
This, of course, is a gross simplification; but, you get the idea.
In a clinical setting, Active Listening is applied to help the patient move through a program of self-discovery and realization. This is much more effective than simply telling someone what is wrong with them- which may or may not be accepted and acted upon.
Nobody likes being told they're wrong, what to think, or what to do- well, most people don't.
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH SALES?
Some of the greatest breakthroughs occur when learning in one discipline is applied in another. The incorporation of therapeutic Active Listening principles to sales was one such moment.
It's been a while since I read through his Spin Selling book, but glancing through it again and checking the index I see no mention of Active Listening, Dr. Rogers or Dr. Gordon. I'm not saying that he knowingly borrowed without crediting where credit was due, but the parallels are remarkable.
But I digress...
"The more you tell, the more you sell" just doesn't wash in today's world of sophisticated and impatient buyers- at least when it comes to in-person or over-the-telephone sales.
WHY IS ACTIVE LISTENING EFFECTIVE?
In his article, "The Power of the Language of Acceptance," (http://www.gordontraining.com/The_Power_of_the_Language_of_Acceptance.html), Dr. Gordon explains quite succinctly the purpose of Active Listening:
"It is one of those simple but beautiful paradoxes of life: When a person feels that he is truly accepted by another, as he is, then he is freed to move from there and to begin to think about how he wants to change, how he wants to grow, how he can become different, how he might become more of what he is capable of being."
Do you appreciate the potency of this? Read that paragraph one more time just to be sure.
Learn to become a better listener, and you can expect marked improvements in your ability to move people.
With Active Listening, you can move your prospects from recalcitrance, argumentativeness, and closed-mindedness to open exploration of possibilities.
Don't tell them what they need; guide them to what they need.
HOW TO LEARN ACTIVE LISTENING?
While Dr. Gordon considered becoming an effective active listener to be a difficult undertaking, I find that with simple exercises repeated over time, it can become second nature to almost anyone with an open mind to learning new things.
While the discipline of Active Listening can run quite deep covering territory such as clinical psychology, hostage negotiations, international diplomacy, crisis management, and more- you really only need to become proficient in a few of the techniques.
At the heart of Active Listening are: parroting, paraphrasing, and feeling feedback or reflecting.
Master these, and you will be well on your way to closing more sales.
To round off your Active Listening skills, add Universal Questions and the 6 Ws to your repetoire.
ACTIVE LISTENING AS A SALES SKILL
By: adamvfoaol
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