Active listening, lucrative sales

Selling means above all being able to listen attentively to your interlocutor to clearly identify their needs, and provide the best solution to meet them. Active listening is the most basic sales technique for a business, at the heart of an effective telesales strategy. The keystone of relationship marketing, active listening allows you to establish a relationship of trust with your prospect or your client so that they open up more. Discover our tips for active listening and thus boost your sales!

The importance of active listening in the sales process

Active listening is above all a communication technique developed by the American psychologist Carl Rogers. Although this technique was not originally designed to respond to commercial issues, Carl Rogers defines it as a support technique, which allows the individual's barriers to be removed so that they can fully express their emotions and difficulties. It thus consists of putting oneself on the same wavelength as one's interlocutor by adopting an attitude of non-directivity, by focusing on them without influencing them or putting pressure on them and by being empathetic, by understanding them from the inside.

This technique will ensure the best possible understanding of your interlocutor's message, but also show your interest and understanding.

The importance of switching to active listening is based on simple reasons. Simple or passive listening does not allow you to remain fully focused and available to your interlocutor. So you risk missing out on a lot of information. Active listening is a much more engaging and caring mode of communication, essential intelephone prospecting. Taking the time to be in an active listening posture from the start of the conversation with your interlocutor will allow you to develop a strong relationship subsequently and facilitate your customer's loyalty. Also, this practice will allow you to save time and avoid conflicts and misunderstandings.

Practice: active listening techniques for a better customer experience

Active listening is not limited to reformulating what your interlocutor says. But it requires adopting a posture of empathy and total openness to allow them to express themselves fully and be in control of the situation. He must feel that you are interested in him, without judging him or directing him. The objective is to help them put words to words and thus develop an understanding of their needs, motivations and obstacles.

Different techniques are available to you to achieve this:

• Reception: you must consider your prospect/customer as the center of your attention, without expecting anything in return. The feelings of your prospect/customer become more important than the sales problem.

• Synchronization: adapt to the speech of your prospect/client and their way of expressing themselves. Reflecting one’s mannerisms adds impact to communication. Synchronization can be verbal, non-verbal, or para-verbal, and suggests to the client that you are in tune with them.

• Silence: it is inseparable from empathy. It is therefore essential to never interrupt your prospect/client. Your silence will allow him to relax and move forward in expressing his needs.

• Reformulation: The objective is to help them put the words down and thus develop a detailed understanding of their needs, the basis of a good telephone argument. This will allow you to ensure a good understanding of your prospect/client's request, but also it will allow him to face his speech so that he can confirm his thoughts or not.

• Questioning: focus on open questions like “What brings you here?”, and avoid questions like “Don’t you think that…”.

• Approval: allows you to indicate to your interlocutor that you are listening attentively and that you understand their needs. Affirm it with phrases such as “yes, it’s true”, “yes, I agree” and with silent signals such as nodding…

Customer satisfaction and commercial performance

Active listening is an essential practice to implement in the sales and loyalty process. This is a major asset for developing a good relationship with your prospects/customers. When your interlocutor feels understood without you trying to influence their judgment, then you automatically trigger a feeling of trust.

Active listening suggests the establishment of a relationship between you and your interlocutor where everyone benefits from it. It’s about creating a win-win relationship. It's up to you to convince your prospect or customer to buy or renew their purchase from your company.

This listening therefore allows you to understand in depth the needs of the prospect/customer and thus to continuously improve the relationship, ultimately boosting your sales. All data collected represents a lead for you to exploit for marketing and commercial actions, such as targeted offers or benefits.

Active listening therefore has positive impacts in the short term (canvassing, sales) as well as in the long term (loyalty). However, it requires training and practice, and can be the subject of specific training. So opt for active listening in order to achieve maximum lucrative sales and improve the prospect/customer experience.

At hipto, we are constantly refining our Conversociads© lead generation solution to guarantee you better commercial performance. A need?Contact us:

• contact@hipto.com

• +33 1 76 39 06 68

Sources:

• Sales force

• Dirty odyssey