I’m going to do a week on selling and communication.  Five days, five tips.  Put all of these to work and I guarantee you improved results for virtually any kind of selling. 

It’s not about your product, it’s about listening to your customer’s need.  

Most salespeople know that they should listen to the client, but too few of them do, and usually not soon enough.  And they don’t listen in the right way.  You should be listening for the underlying messages more than the superficial ones.  What emotion is the (potential) customer putting forward?  Excitement about a new purchase?  Fear about a new technology?  Resistance to change?  Resentment at the old product? 

What’s memorable – and important to people – in communication is emotion; that’s what you should be listening for and responding to, not just the expressed content.  If you acknowledge a client’s emotions, and figure out an appropriate way to respond to them, you’ll be his favorite salesperson in no time. 

Begin by reflecting back the basic messages.  “So what I hear you saying is that you’re in the market for a new flibbertigibbet, is that right?”  Once you get the basics settled, then move on to the emotions.  Ask questions to elicit them, like, “Were you sorry to see the old one go, or was it good riddance to bad rubbish?”

Keep it light; this is a sale, not therapy.  But don’t duck from stronger emotions if they come up.  Put on your therapist hat and go to work.  Your goal in all this is to be able to complete the following sentence:  “Customer X is in the market for a Y, and she’s Z about it.”  X is the customer, Y is the product, and Z is the customer’s attitude. 

You’ll have time to sell your customer on products, features, and upgrades later.  For now, focus on establishing a connection.  We want to feel that connection is real and strong enough to last through the after-sale (or repeat-sale) care, so don’t rush it or fake it.  Connections between people get established at the surface first, but if they’re to be durable, then they must have emotional glue to hold them together.