7 Ways to Listen Better

May 1, 2012 in Communication, Skills with 0 Comments

ORD.

I was recently in Chicago O’Hare Airport returning from a business trip when a couple of every day occurrences spawned the idea for this post.

I went to Starbucks in Terminal 3, somewhere near gate K3.  I normally get a double-cupped venti bold coffee, but today I went for something different – a quad venti, extra hot, no-foam latte – again, double cupped.  While it’s not the most complex order I’ve ever heard at Starbucks, it does take a second or two to spit it out.

The young man taking my order was very distracted with the two young women who were working with him behind the counter.   I’m not sure he ever once looked at me while I was ordering.  To his credit, he and the barista, did get the order correct – that wasn’t a problem.  It did get me thinking and wonder how often I don’t give my 100% attention to someone I should be giving my 100% attention to.

After I got my coffee, I meandered down to a place to get a breakfast sandwich.  They had 2-3 registers to take orders.  A man, his two young children and his wife with a baby stroller were in front of me.  He was busy placing the order for his family while his wife was talking on her cell phone.  The woman behind the counter called “next”, which was me, but I could not get around the woman on her cell phone and her stroller.  Her back was to me and she was very engaged in the conversation she was having while she took up the entire lane.  It took literally 30-45 seconds before she realized that I was desperately trying t get around her and her stroller to place my order.

While this isn’t an exhaustive list, here are some simple observations I made at the airport on how to be a better listener:

  1. Look at the person you are talking to or is talking to you.  It’s a simple thought and we’ve all heard it before, but it bears repeating.  I read a story of a sales guy who was a little hard of hearing.  His hearing difficulties forced him to focus and watch his customer speak… he was reading the lips while he was listening.  At some point, the sales rep got a hearing aid and was so excited to hear better.  When he went into one of his long time client’s the customer finally asked him to take his hearing aid out because he liked how focused and attentive he was without it.
  2. Be intentional.  Get rid of distractions.  Turn off your cell phone.  Turn off the TV (at home).  Do whatever you have to in order to be able to listen to whomever you engaged with.
  3. Be observant.  Watch for non-verbal communication.  You are sending just as much non-verbal communication as you are trying to pick up from your conversation partner.  One study at UCLA indicated that up to 93 percent of communication effectiveness is determined by nonverbal cues. Another study indicated that the impact of a performance was determined 7 percent by the words used, 38 percent by voice quality, and 55 percent by the nonverbal communication.
  4. Minimize / Eliminate side bar conversations.  This particularly applies to group meetings – large or small.  Not only are sidebar discussions distracting,  they are  inconsiderate to the person speaking.
  5. Actively Listen.  Along with looking at the person who is speaking, sit up, lean forward, engage your body and you’ll engage your mind and ability to listen better and remember more.
  6. Repeat important thoughts for confirmation.  Don’t parrot the conversation, but rephrase and repeat thoughts to ensure you understand what is being said as well as to verbally show your conversation partner that you are hearing and understanding what they are saying.  Clarify what you don’t understand.  This is an excellent way to confirm communication, not just hearing.
  7. If you ask a question – listen to the answer.  This is pretty self-explanatory.  Nothing irritates me more than to answer someone’s question only to find they’ve checked out or don’t really care what the answer is.

What are you top couple of ideas on listening better?  Leave a comment….

Happy Selling.

ABC – Always Be Closing – “What” is the question

April 9, 2012 in Tools with 0 Comments

ABCs

Ever heard the phrase “ABC – Always Be Closing?”

It’s one of the most common sales sayings around. For the most part, I believe that this saying is true and relevant IF you understand “what” you are closing…

If you sell in a very transactional type of product or service, then the focus of your “closing” is the close of the sale. The focus is providing the customer with the value proposition of the product or service in order to get them to “yes.”

If, however, you sell in a longer and more complex selling environment, then the focus of your “closing” might just be closing the next step of your sales process, or closing the next meeting.

The more complex the product or service you sell, or the larger the customer to whom you sell, the more planning required to manage the (by definition) complex cycle. Complex sales cycles require many meetings with many different people in the organization. During these meetings, you are not only building your value proposition, but reiterating the value proposition as it exists.

The goal is to close the next meeting – to get higher, deeper, and wider in the organization to build consensus with your value proposition.

In these situations, “ABC” is incredibly relevant as it pertains to each next step, each next meeting.

What are your thoughts on the old adage “ABC – Always Be Closing?”

5 Tools for Prospecting on LinkedIn

March 28, 2012 in Tools with 0 Comments

linkedin-in-button

Admittedly, I’m a LinkedIn novice. This is an excellent video on prospecting techniques using LinkedIn. I have a fairly large base of connections, but honestly considered LinkedIn as my “Facebook for Business.”

Ahem… you can stop laughing now…

Seriously, I learned quite a few things from this 11 minute video. It’s well worth the watch.

If you’re a sales type – you should definitely watch this. I didn’t know LinkedIn was so powerful!

Thanks to the Business Development University for posting this video (check out their website for more information).

Good Selling…

Purposes of a commission plan…

March 22, 2012 in Attitude, Leadership with 2 Comments

Photo by Mike Kiev on iStockphoto.com

I’m hoping to start a little dialogue here.   It’s no surprise that we are all in sales for one reason.  The money.  We endure what we endure to get the commission statement at the end of the month/quarter/year.

What is the purpose of the compensation plan?

I’ve heard over the course of my career that “comp plans dictate behavior.”  I believe that to be true.

I also know that we sales folks will undoubtedly learn how to structure our deals to maximize the rules of the compensation plan provided.  Taking a step back, what’s the purpose of the commission plan, or compensation plan?  Here is a partial list of my thoughts:

  1. Define the payout.  This is a no-brainer.  You have to tell people how they’re going to get paid and what they are going to get paid on and clearly set all the expectations from the get-go.
    • This includes defining metrics and measurable criteria of what “success” looks like.  We sales types want to know when we are leading the pack, when we are identified as over-achievers and “rain makers.”  It is these metrics and criteria that often really define the entire goal of the company as well as the companies perspective on the sales team.
  2. Motivate Selling.   Suffice to say – the metrics and criteria defined will do one of two things: motivate or demotivate the sales teams.  Attainable goals, where a sales type can exceed are very motivational.  Metrics that are unattainable, or perceived unattainable, are very demotivating and will have a negative impact on morale.  This is an entirely separate conversation and very likely, my post.
  3. Identify Ownership. Who is responsible for what with the customer?  Simple rule – the one measured (and/or remunerated) for it, is likely the one who owns it.
    • Interesting move recently made within our organization is that customer satisfaction is virtually owned by the entire company.  Virtually every employee has some metric and compensation tied to our customer satisfaction.  This is great news for our customers and great news for our company as we will all be working toward one single goal – because all our paychecks are tied to it.
  4. Appropriate Reward. Compensation plans should reward and differentiate the stellar, average, and below-average performers.  This ties back to #2 – Motivate Selling.
  5. Retain Top Talent. A compensation plan should be structured to retain those top performers.
  6. Clarify Company Goals.  What and how metrics are defined and measured, will clearly articulate the company vision and goals.

This is clearly an incomplete list and I’ll probably add to it the more I think about it.  My next post will expound on point #2 in more detail.

What purposes can you add to the list?  Leave a comment, let’s discuss it.

Happy Selling.

What is the most frustrating part of the sales process for you?

 

Leave your answer in the comments below and join the discussion….

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“Don’t sell life insurance, sell what life insurance can do” - Ben Feldman

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5, …no, 6 Reasons You Need to Meet in Person

March 14, 2012 in Communication, Skills with 0 Comments

Excellent article in Inc. magazine from Rene Shimada Siegel on why we sales professionals need to meet in person with our customers and prospects and I “1,000,000% agree, Dawg!” (to quote American Idol judge, Randy Jackson)

5 Reasons You Need to Meet in Person | Inc.com.

 

Rene list is fantastic – and I’m going to add a 6th reason (how’s that for ‘value-add’?)

6. Meet new and unexpected contacts – this happened to me just last week.  I was at a client site for all day meetings with a group of people.  In one of the breaks, I introduced myself to someone I didn’t know and it turned out to be someone I had been wanting to meet, but had no opportunity to before hand.  We had a nice, brief conversation, but in that conversation I learned some very important data points that will help me close this deal.

Enjoy her article.  I certainly did.

Can you add to the list?  Join the discussion.

End of Quarter stress?

March 14, 2012 in Attitude, Leadership with 0 Comments

calendar

It’s nearing the end of the quarter, so for most of us sales types, that usually means the stress levels are rising as we work to attain our quarterly metrics and/or quotas.

I know this can often make me a grump at home – especially because I office from home.

Here’s a great post by Michael Hyatt that really deals with attitude and leadership and I thought I’d pass it along.  A fantastic read.

The Secret to Happiness As You Get Older | Michael Hyatt – Intentional Leadership.

Here are a couple of things I do to keep the “work stress” at work and not let it come downstairs to home.

  1. Turn It Off – this has been something I’ve had to learn to do with working at home.  At some point, the work day is over.  Turn off the work PC, go down stairs and wait until tomorrow to check email again.
  2. Engage with the family – nothing helps get work off my mind better than helping my wife cook dinner or washing dishes or doing something with my kids.
  3. Sleep – amazingly, my brain works well when I sleep.   I’m amazed at how often I wake up in the morning with a fresh idea or perspective on whatever I was wrestling with the day before.
  4. Quiet Time – I start my day quietly.  I spend some time gathering my marching orders for the day before engaging in whatever work has to be done.

Leave your comments:

  • What do you do to manage end of quarter or end of year stress?
  • How do you keep it from affecting your home life?

How to Create a Life-Changing Presentation

March 13, 2012 in Skills with 0 Comments

Great post on presentation skills  from Michael Hyatt’s blog.

How to Create a Life-Changing Presentation | Michael Hyatt – Intentional Leadership.

His guest writer, John Richardson, provides 5 keys to employ in creating presentations to help us stand above our competitors and other presenters.

His 5 points can be remembered by the acronym S.P.A.R.K.

Check it out!

Happy Selling!

In Presentations, Learn to Say Less

March 6, 2012 in Quick Bites, Skills with 0 Comments

In Presentations, Learn to Say Less – Ron Ashkenas – Harvard Business Review.

Great post from Ron Ashkenas on the Harvard Business Journal blogsite.

Think of this while you read the post:  What if you had to summarize your presentation on Twitter?  140 characters. Go!

Good Selling!

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