You’ve tried for weeks to get a meeting and you finally got it. You have absolute confidence that the prospect needs exactly what you are selling. You’ve done the research, planned the meeting, prepared the pitch and are ready to go. Now, what’s the most important thing you can do during the meeting? Shut up and listen!
The 80/20 rule that applies to so many things also applies to sales in a very important way: you should spend 80% of a sales call listening and 20% speaking. That’s really, really hard. Believe me, I’m guilty of violating the rule all of the time.
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Consider words spoken by a prospect to be golden nuggets of information that you can cash-in later. I recall being on a sales call with a Sales Engineer who was frequently on his Blackberry. After the meeting I asked him to keep it in the car for the next call so that he could give the customer 100% of his attention. Wouldn’t you know it – out comes the Blackberry on the very next call. My “coaching” the next time was not so constructive. I suggested a couple of places that I would be happy to put his Blackberry the next time.
And, never, ever interrupt the prospect. I’m guilty of this and it is an almost unforgivable gaffe. There are points within a conversation when you can very naturally inject an important point, ask a question, validate an opinion, or offer an answer. If you don’t have enough self awareness to understand where those points are, then just be quiet. There will be plenty of time to sell.
Selling is a series of conversations. These conversations are not necessarily balanced – they should favor the prospect/customer. How you listen, interact and engage in meaningful dialogue with the prospect can set you apart from the pack in a good way - or not. Sometimes when the prospect is speaking and I’m dying to say something, I’ll make a note in my notebook, “STHU”. I won’t say what that means here, but most of you get it. Whatever the method, give yourself a reminder to shut up and listen! Those nuggets that the prospect is giving you will turn to cash soon enough.
Just show the patience and maturity to STHU.
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