How Active Listening Helps You Increase Sales
The last time you were the initiator or recipient of a sales or service call, did you find the entire process to be a bit frustrating, where neither you nor the person you were talking to connected? Did the call end with both of you unsatisfied, wondering exactly what went wrong?
The internet and product websites have altered the landscape for traditional sales and service calls — when someone is interested in learning more or purchasing a product or service, they just quickly access their phone or tablet instead of calling a dedicated salesperson. The phone-based salesperson will always remain an integral component of sales and customer service, and the best way to overcome modern challenges and improve sales is by learning and utilizing active listening techniques.
What Is Active Listening?
Active listening is a technique you can use to better understand the needs and expectations of the individual you’re speaking with. During many conversations, the listener may only be passively listening or even not listening at all. Active listening is the practice of noting the speaker’s choice of words, their tone, and their body language if they’re seated near you. Using these details, an active listener will be able to fully understand what the speaker has said and use those cues to best accomplish the goal of the call, whether that’s closing a sale or providing adequate customer service.
Becoming an active listener can help in a wide variety of instances including:
- Tackling sales call resistance
- Determining reasons for change or challenge
- Summarizing exploratory calls
- Addressing objections
- Closing calls
Benefits of Using Active Listening Techniques During Sales Calls
By learning how to become an active listener, you can experience better success during your sales calls and discover the following advantages:
- Increased trust and understanding: No one on a sales or service call wants to be fed irrelevant canned responses — active listening shows the speaker that you care about solving their problem or providing a service to ultimately benefit them.
- Reduced miscommunication: With active listening, the listener will sum up the specifics of their conversation and is given the opportunity to have any misunderstandings corrected by the speaker.
- Easier accomplishment of call goals: By actively listening to your speakers, you can quickly determine their needs and find the best solutions for solving their problem without repetitive back-and-forth conversation and frustration.
Mastering Active Listening Techniques
Few people are truly good at listening to others, so most salespeople will have to actively use sales listening exercises to improve. To become a good listener, follow these steps:
- Truly listen
- Repeat content and feeling
- Confirm sentiment and intention
- Ask follow-up questions
- Practice
An Exciting, Better Way to Perform Sales Calls
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