Tag Archives: active listening

Active Listening as a tool for finding the Prospect’s real objections

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Active listening is a way to find what is really behind the objections you hear.

I was talking to my friend Henry the other day. Henry has a product that allows engine oil and hydraulic fluid to last 4-10 times longer than usual.

No, no. This is not one of those wacko devices you see on late-night TV infomercials, this is the real thing. It’s actually for big machines, like 18 wheelers, bulldozers and the like, and it’s endorsed by Caterpillar and other manufacturers.

Anyway, Henry was telling me about the resistance he gets from the potential buyers at the quarries and trucking firms and government agencies he sells to. Objections like, ‟We’ve always done it the old way,” ‟I don’t care if Caterpillar says it’s okay, I’m not going to take a chance.”

He was getting this from the maintenance chief at a government agency. Continue reading → Active Listening as a tool for finding the Prospect’s real objections

Active listening: Communicating well in the sales call, in person and on the phone

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The most successful sales people  have developed listening skills–not just a passive listening, but active listening skills as well

 We’ll be examining the how-to of active listening in much more detail later in this site, but here are some starting points to give you a quick sense of what active listening means in sales.

Active listening is a topic in itself, but means, among other things, not just sitting there, but becoming actively and visibly involved with the speaker.

Depending on the situation, that might mean giving clear feedback that you are understanding correctly, nodding, taking notes on items that are particularly relevant — as all of these are signals to the speaker that this is what you’re really looking for.

Thus “active listening” may not be just listening: it could be saying encouraging words—like “I understand,” or “Interesting,” or “Mmm, I see,” or whatever helps to the speaker realized that he or she is on-course to what you need to know.

Active listening may also mean asking follow-up questions as needed.

Yet active listening also means knowing when to be silent, and when to let the speaker “roam free.”

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The content in this and  other posts on this site has been adapted from my books, which you will find in the sidebar, along with how to order as both ebooks and pbooks. Hope you find them helpful.

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