Great Salespeople Are Great “Understanders”. Are You?

Stephen Covey said it well:

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to respond.”

Ouch.

Guilty as charged. I admit to this conversational deficiency. It’s something I’ve been working on for years. It’s something I am continuing to work on.

As sales professionals, we would do well to pay attention to Covey’s cautionary observation. This subtle change could produce major results.

So how do we adapt our communication style? How can we improve our listening (and, more importantly, our understanding) skills?

Try developing the habit of the half-second pause.

When your customer (or anyone for that matter) is sharing his/her thoughts, listen intently until they have finished. Then wait for half of a second before responding.

There are two parts to this conversational approach.

The first is to wait until the other person has finished talking.

When we interrupt someone who is speaking to us, we send a message that what we have to say is more important than what they are saying. It also tells them I’M NOT LISTENING! In sales, that’s a killer.

The second part of this approach has to do with the half-second pause. That might not sound like much, but our brains can process a great deal in less than a second.

This pause allows time for context, for assimilation of concepts, for balancing the emotional tone, and for developing a more reasoned reply.

Try it with a friend or family member, or even with your food server or grocery store clerk.

Practice the art of delaying your response. It will make you a better listener, a better “understander,” and a better sales professional.