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You don’t know how to listen even though you think you do. You never had a class on listening in school and you sure didn’t learn how to listen from going to school. Listening is truly a skill and it’s a skill you have to develop.
Listening requires intent focus. You have to intentionally place your focus on the other person, and all the communication signals the other person is sending out. Those communication signals extend beyond the words they use and their tone of voice to their body position and expressions. To listen effectively and stay focused you have to set your needs and your agenda aside. This enables you to be open to receive the communication your prospect is sending you.
Listen for understanding. Your sole purpose is to understand what the other person is telling you. You aren’t listening to pass judgment or to find an opening where you can jump in and add your two cents. You want to calmly let the other person talk and ask questions to deepen your understanding of what they’re saying. You’re also asking questions to check for any miss understandings so you can get clarification.
Don’t think about what you’re going to say next. When you do that you’re taking the attention off the other person and you aren’t hearing what they’re saying. These lapses in your focus can cause you to miss a critical piece of information that would provide the understanding that would result in a sale. If you take notes while the other person is speaking for recall later, don’t try to get down every word just jot down a key word or phrase.
Don’t interject your own story or opinions. That also takes the focus off the client and puts it on you. Not only doesn’t the prospect care, but you could cause the prospect to lose their train of thought, and again miss an important piece of information that would lead to a sale. Never interrupt, talk over, or complete their sentences. These habits are just plain rude and reduce your prospects incentive to talk to you.
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