Do you hate that cell phone TV commercial as much as I do? “Can you hear me now?” “Can you hear me now?” Over and over, the same guy asks the same question to the unknown person on the other end of the cell phone conversation. But, there is something that we, as sales people, can learn from this. Do we listen to what our customers are telling us about what they want to buy — or do they need to be saying, “Can you hear me now?”
I always use the example in teaching sales training that God gave us two ears and one mouth. We should listen twice as much as we speak. However, for sales people that’s really hard to do. We want to gush forth with our wonderful words of advice to people we hardly know, telling them what they should spend their money on for a vacation when we don’t really know what they are looking for.
About 20 years ago, I attended a sales training seminar on non-manipulative selling. There was a diagram that caught my attention that has stayed with me all these years. If you’re a manipulative salesperson, your sales technique would look something like this:

If you are trying to manipulate someone into buying from you, you do very little fact-finding. You don’t qualify or ask questions. You spend minimal time finding out what type vacation the client wants, where he wants to go, what his expectations from his vacation might be, or where his comfort level is. When you move into your sales pitch, you offer something you 1) are familiar with, or 2) make the most commission on, or 3) have a great rep who is offering an incentive to book her product even at the expense of your client. Then, you CLOSE, and CLOSE, and CLOSE, never leaving time for your client to talk and tell you what they want. They get frustrated. You get frustrated. And, nothing happens.

But WHAT IF we inverted the triangle to look like this:

Now, WHAT IF we spent the bulk of our time qualifying and asking questions of the client, finding out what her wants were, what he was expecting from his vacation, what she had done on her last vacation that was wonderful, what type of hotels he stayed in when he went on vacation instead of a business trip? WHAT IF instead of our deciding for her, she led us to the perfect vacation that we could choose for her? And WHAT IF our sales pitch then became geared to exactly what she was looking for? Then, wouldn’t closing the sale become easier?
We all know the Golden Rule — do unto others as you would have them do to you. I have a Platinum Rule that I live by in selling. Do unto others as they would like to have done. What your client likes may not be necessarily what you like. What your idea of a great vacation is in all likelihood won’t be the same as your client’s. Sell your clients what they want, not what you want to sell to them.
The number one rule in selling is LISTEN!!! Listen to what your client is telling you. First, stop talking! As long as you are talking, you cannot be listening. Greet your client, ask a few questions, and then shut up. Let them talk.
Then behave as you think a good listener should behave. Show you are interested. Establish good eye contact with your client. Give nonverbal signals that you are paying attention — nodding your head, for example. Be patient. Give your client plenty of time. Then, don’t react emotionally when they drop a bomb on you, like they’ve been shopping online.
Listen for the main points of what they are expecting and why, what their likes and dislikes are, and what their budget is. Build a mental outline. But, take notes if that helps. Above all else, concentrate. Keep your total focus on your client as she speaks.
Don’t make your mind up in advance about what your client wants or how you’ll react when you disagree with what they think they want because their best friend’s mother’s daughter’s teacher just got back from XYZ cruise and hated it. Assess the conflicting ideas carefully, and determine how you will handle this objection.
Then, defer judgment. Wait until you’ve heard and are sure you understand the entire message your client is giving you before you recommend a vacation. Listen emphathetically and seek to approach a vacation choice from the client’s perspective instead of your own.
And, now, finally, ASK QUESTIONS. Questions show your interest and encourage your client to tell you more, as well as clarifying things that they have already told you. You’ve been taking notes. Now use these notes in asking your questions.
Now, it’s time for your sales pitch. I really hate that phrase because I relate it to used-car salesmen. But, it’s your time to shine. You’ve found out what the client is looking for, you know their comfort level, you have a knowledge of their lifestyle, and now you can find just the right vacation for them? Make your offer. (Isn’t that better than a sales pitch?). Then STOP TALKING!!! That’s right — stop talking. This is probably the single most difficult thing for salespeople to do. Our gift of gab is what got us to where we are now, right? To stop talking is going against everything in our very being. But, now you MUST allow your client to talk again and ask questions. After you have answered all of their objections, clarified all questions they have had, then, and only then, can you close the sale.
However, if you have become a non-manipulative sales person, the close will come easy. You won’t be frustrated. Your client won’t be frustrated. You’ll close the sale, and the client will have a great vacation. No longer will your clients be saying “Can you hear me now?” You heard them loud and clear.

Sherrie Funk and husband Charlie own Just Cruisin! Plus, Nashville. They founded the Travel Agent Management Academy to educate owners and managers about the techniques that have been instrumental to their agency’s success.