Listening Skills For Sales Professionals
Author: Dennis Kyle

Communication skills are the defining attribute of a top sales person. There are five parts to great communication skills. Listening, Questioning, Body Language, Speaking, and Interpreting. In the next few issues of the Executive Sales Tips Newsletter, we will explore each of these topics. This month's topic is Listening Skills.


Listening to a person when they talk shows commitment, caring, interest, respect and builds rapport. I have yet to find a top-producing sales person who doesn't have superior listening skills.


Have you experienced someone acting like they are listening, but you can tell their eyes are not in focus and they are not truly listening? When you ask them to repeat back what you said, they have a difficult time. People even think they are listening and may be able to repeat what you said but they have not truly understood you.


If you, as the salesperson, are not fully active in listening to your clients and prospects, you will miss opportunities at the least and encounter angry customers at the worst.
There are three different states of listening:
1. Passive Listening
2. Intermediate Passive Listening
3. Active Listening


Passive Listening (failure to pay attention to verbal and non-verbal communication, basically absorbing very little information):
This phase of listening could also be named, 'I Don't Care About You' or 'OOPS I Didn't Catch What You Said'.

I got semi-cured of this about 10 years ago when I was on a sales call. For the life of me I couldn't remember the gentleman's name I was selling to. So I performed what I call the 'Stick Foot in Mouth Trick.' You probably know what I'm going to say. I grabbed my piece of paper confidently looked down attempting to make it look as though I was being organized and asked, "How do you spell your name again?" He responded, "That would be B-O-B" Talk about embarrassing. My wit quickly shined through to cover my stupidity and I said, "Oh I know that, I meant how do you spell your last name?" He responded with an answer I'll never forget, "Dennis that would be Brown, B-R-O-W-N." That was just too much, my face was so red it might as well have been bleeding. I watched his facial gestures and I know he was thinking, "Rookieee". That was my first but surely not my last moment of passive listening in sales. This phase is truly inevitable. Whether someone is 15 years old or 90 years old, we all experience passive listening every single day.

Minimize the amount of time we spend in passive listening. Here are a few reasons why people fall victim to passive listening:
1. It's human nature to have an agenda when it comes to communication. We get so preoccupied with what we are going to say next that we fail to pay attention to the here and now.
2. Pre-existing conditions are another major cause of how we become afflicted by the Passive Listening plague. Pre-existing conditions are things that have gotten into our mind prior to the conversation. This takes our attention away from the current conversation and puts us in passive listening.
3. Impressions are another passive listening trap. People get caught up in how their impression is being received or vice versa how they are receiving the other person they forget to listen.


How do you eliminate or at least minimize passive listening? A big part of the answer is awareness. Being aware that we will inevitably fall victim to Passive Listening is key. Awareness will also lead you to better understand what causes you to fall into Passive Listening. Listening is a learned skill, which requires discipline.

In the sales arena, listening should make up 60% of a salesperson’s communication. Later in this article we learn about active listening which is the ideal place to be. I'll show you how to optimize and discipline yourself to become an expert listener.

The Passive Listening takes very little energy and most information is lost within a couple of hours and as fast as a few seconds. Examples include forgetting a person's name when introduced, not hearing a buyer's true needs, or forgetting critical tasks at a meeting.


Intermediate Passive Listening (Hearing verbal and non-verbal communication but not cognitively processing data into a valuable and usable concept):
Although we are talking sales here, I refer to this section as the, 'Old Married Couple Plague.' I had grandparents who epitomized this type listening.

Grandma started to rattle on to Grandpa how they need to get their spring-cleaning started in just a few days. Spring-cleaning for this 70-year-old woman was just as exciting as a salesperson getting a lay-down order. So she carried on for a couple of minutes, "Charlie we need to get the windows out, the carpets cleaned, the basement swept, the furniture moved and the mattress flipped over cause it's starting to sag." She noticed good ole' Charlie staring at the TV and not paying attention. She said in a raspy, aggravated voice, "Chuck you're not listening to me!" He said, "We need to get the furniture moved so we can clean the windows and you'd like to steam clean the basement for whatever reason I have no idea. There is no carpet down there. And you want to do something with the old mattress." Well, call an old man deaf; we had a fight on our hands.

I don't care if it is a married couple or salespeople; everyone spends time in Intermediate Passive Listening.

Intermediate Passive Listening is hearing what someone has to say but not processing the words into a conceptual idea of understanding. In sales, whether it is over the telephone or in-person, you should take heed of the signs when you are falling victim to the Intermediate Passive Listening phase.

How do you recognize signs of Intermediate Passive Listening?
1. The first sign of passive listening is if you fade in and out of the conversation. For instance, while listening to a prospect, if you start thinking about the next sales call you need to make, the next conference call, the fact you forgot to let the dog out, mow the lawn, or mail that client correspondence. Staying out of Intermediate Passive Listening requires you to stay conscious so when you feel yourself fading out, it is time to refocus. I recommend you jot down a note so you don't forget what you’re thinking about. However, what you really need is to free your mind so you can get back to listening to your prospect.
2. Another sign of Intermediate Passive Listening is when you notice you personally get fixed on one idea. This sign shows-up when you are with a client or prospect and something they say is either confusing or intrigues your mind and you become so reflective or focused on it that the rest of the information they say, although important, is not totally being received by your conscious mind.


In the Intermediate Passive Listening phase you can remember some things from a conversation; however, if the information is left to your memory you will lose 80% of it within five days. Information received in the Intermediate Passive phase is put into the section of brain that is responsible for short-term memory.

To increase your retention with the information received while in the Intermediate Passive phase quickly jot down bullet point notes and then fill in more detail when you hang-up the telephone or leave the meeting.

Breaking out of this phase is as simple as focusing and staying a part of a conversation. Even if that means you need to ask questions to clarify ideas that you may be stuck on. Your conscious listening commitment to a conversation speaks volumes for your integrity.

Active Listening (conscious awareness, internalizing information and creating conceptual ideas in the mind which are utilized to harness ultimate understanding):

Becoming a great listener is a learned skill. You have to spend time focusing on conversations and practicing your recollection of information.

The best recommendation I have is to buy a mini-cassette recorder, take it with you to an appointment and press record. Then, just do your normal thing. When you are done with the appointment, write down everything you can remember from the conversation. Play the recorder and compare your notes to the actual conversation. You will quickly learn there is always room to improve your listening skills.

Below you will find six solid ideas to increase your active listening. In the sales arena there is no other acceptable place to be when it comes to listening.

Enhancing Your Active Listening
1. Focus On The Content Of The Call - It is vitally important to pay attention to the call and the direction it is heading. If you notice your prospect is starting to change topics pay attention to where they are heading in their communication. If you begin losing track ask a question to clarify the thought.
2. Eliminate Distractions Around You and In Your Mind - When you are ready to walk into a client call or if you are picking up the telephone to call a prospect eliminate distractions. Obvious distractions to eliminate are phones ringing in the background, people walking in and out of your office, radios playing and other not so obvious distractions like a problem you had at home, a fight with the boss, or the fact that you have something else to do right after your appointment. Removing mental distractions can be the most difficult. My recommendation as mentioned earlier is to write them down on a note pad so you don't forget them then put them out of your mind. If you are so severely plagued by mental distractions then don't make calls at that time. Your success rate will show equal to those distractions.
3. Take Notes At All Times - Do not attempt to write down everything someone is trying to say. The best form of note taking is bullet point notes. The easiest way to take bullet point notes is to listen to the idea of what your prospect is saying and then jot down a few words from that idea which will jog your memory. For example a prospect says, "I am currently utilizing a ABC Recruiting because they have a huge resource of IT Managers with experience. When I call them with what I need they provide five qualified candidates by the end of the week." A bullet synopsis of this comment may be, - competition has huge resource - needs quick turnaround - qualified IT Managers. Also, create shorthand for your industry. For instance, if I leave a person a voice mail I jot down, LVM for left voice mail. Shorthand will make note taking easier, quicker and less tedious.
4. Ask Questions - Although question asking is not necessarily listening, remember that every good listener is a great question asker. You must develop your ability to ask questions. In later newsletters, I will cover ideas on how to ask well-directed questions. As you listen to someone, you will ultimately develop silent questions. These are the questions that arise while listening and may not be appropriate to blurt out, but may be vital to your understanding. Jot these questions down. Remember, your best questions usually happen in the heat of the moment. Don't let them get away from you.
5. Reiterate Or Rephrase Customer Ideas - Listen to your prospect’s entire thought. Conceptualize what they are trying to say. Reiterate back to them in similar but different terminology. For example, a client may say, "I am a little worried about how the fluctuating interest rates are going to affect my variable mortgage and about purchasing this home in a section of the market which has had problems with homes selling under value." A salesperson's potential response may be, "I understand you have some specific worries about the interest rates and resale value, is that correct?" This is an awesome tool but like anything in life moderation is important. People will pick-up on your antics right away when you start repeating what they say too often. Knowing how to tactfully rephrase a statement increases your credibility and makes people feel more comfortable with you. This technique will dramatically improve your relationships because it says loud and clear, I care about you and what you are saying.
6. Empower The Other Person To Talk So You Can Listen - It is important that a salesperson spend 60% of their time listening to what the buyer has to say. It is very simple to empower prospects. Try this, "What you have to say is very important to me, please share your thoughts on . . . ." And then pause. Don't say a word. This easy statement will open the communication lines. And don't add a justifying statement. An example of a justifying statement is underlined here, ". . .important to me, please share your thoughts on what is not working in terms of your office equipment. I mean do you need anything new?" In our following newsletter we will explore questioning further. Remember, people love to talk about themselves and their situations. The more you get someone talking the more they feel you are investing into them. Your clients and prospects want to be heard and so often the sale is won by the person who knows how to listen to the needs, obstacles, concerns and issues a buyer is faced with. Try it today; give away the power of speaking.


Active Listening is the only place for you to be when it comes to listening. Embrace the wonderful world of personal silence while other people are speaking. Remember the power of a good listener is in the strength of their questions. You will increase your sales immediately when you pay closer attention to what people are trying to say and constantly making sure that you are on track with what they are saying. Make it a point today to be more conscious of your listening skills. Try these ideas not just in work situations but at home with your husband, wife, children and friends. Remember, practice makes perfect, and perfect practice makes for great outcomes.








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Dennis Kyle is a professional speaker and CEO of Positive Results, a national training company. Author of Mastering Sales Skills series and The Art of Reading Buyer Behavior. If you find this article useful, you will enjoy, appreciate and learn from Dennis Kyle’s audio and video tapes. Dennis writes for a variety of publications and speaks on reading personality, telephone skills, sales and motivation topics for company and association meetings

Dennis Kyle
Positive Results
PO Box 361001
Strongsville, OH 44136
Phone: 800-926-5953
dennis@positiveresults.com
http://www.positiveresults.com

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