“Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes

One of our greatest strengths can inadvertently lead to our demise.  The strength: our ability to solve problems.  The demise: our desire to solve a problem that is not fully defined.

Get in the habit of exploring a customer’s issue to the full before you jump into the conclusion.  Too many salespeople want to jump ahead to the solution before they have fully determined the problem.

Pump the brakes, my friends. Two ears – one mouth, right?  Listen your way into understanding before you talk your way into a non-sale.