Listening Skills vs. Swift Talking in Sales

Most people that think of a salesperson is somebody who can talk people into buying their product even if they don't need it.  I have heard the term "He can sell a ketchup Popsicle to a woman in white gloves."  While the ability to be convincing is important in sales, the ability to listen to your prospect is much more important.  How does a good sales professional know how to gear their presentation?  They spent time listening to the customer's needs and adapt the rest of the sales process around those needs.  After you have listened enough to discover their needs and analyze what type of buyer they are, the "swift talking" skills can be applied more efficiently.

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Follow These Steps to Make a Sale

As a salesperson, you should be able to control a conversation.  This does not mean that you should dominate the conversation, but you should be able to steer the direction in a way that will give you a better chance of making the sale.  Many salespeople think that they need to just spit out a bunch of features and the customer will see how great their product is and buy it, these people are peddlers.  A true sales professional takes as much time listening to their customer as they do talking, and there are certain steps you should take to present yourself and your product in a way that will make your customer want to buy.