I am overwhelmed by the comments to my blog posting yesterday about the sales mistake I almost couldn't get myself out of. The follow up today from that situation is they called me back wanting more specifics as to the topics for workshops I could offer their best referral sources. They are going to take those topics and survey their best customers and select one of them to get started in the first quarter of the year.
One thing to remember regarding questioning and listening is that you have to be careful in how you ask the questions. You must do so in a conversational and inquisitive tone, sort of like the old investigative TV detective 'Columbo' played by actor Peter Falk. You don't want to come across as interrogative and belligerent. It's definitely an art that we all get better at with practice, but only when we are cognizant of our actions and speech patterns.
I was able to save the situation because I believe I practiced something I've been trained to do in my Yoga classes for the last 8 years and that is to be able to be 'the witness' of my own actions while I'm in the moment. It definitely takes practice but I'm proud to have realized that I have the power to do this and to actually use it for some good.
You also need participate in 'active' listening, which means you are acknowledging what the other person is saying, and responding with reassurances and supportive comments to make them feel comfortable and to gain trust. You must do this in a sincere way and not in a way that is condescending or overt.
Key skills to learn and practice. I encourage the teams I work with to schedule time in their weekly sales meetings for role playing exercises with these skills as it is the only way to get better and its better to make mistakes and get feedback from a colleague than to do it with a prospect and lose the business.
One of the best things I ever did at a workshop was two months ago, when I volunteered in front of about 70 other colleagues to go up on the 'hot seat' in the front of the room for some role playing. It was great. I recorded it and have listened to a couple of times to take key pieces from it for application.
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