During a recent sales training workshop I conducted for a client, one sales rep constantly interrupted his colleagues to add his opinion to the conversation. Although his insights were generally good he often rambled, and as the day progressed, it seemed like he was mostly interested in hearing the sound of his own voice. By early afternoon, his coworkers started rolling their eyes every time he interjected but he was completely oblivious to their reaction.
Needless to say, I wondered what his sales conversations were like when he met with clients and prospects.
Many people are oblivious to the effectiveness of their approach. As a result, they don't notice when their prospect stops paying attention or loses interest in their sales presentation. On the opposite side of the coin, are the sales people who speed up their presentation when they see that the other person is losing interest. In other cases, the rep talks about certain elements of their product or service even after their prospect has indicated that that particular feature is not important.
Unfortunately, each of these approaches can seriously affect your ability to increase your sales and grow your business.
Being oblivious not only limits your sales potential, it undermines your credibility.
The most effective sales people are sensitive to their prospect and pay close attention to their attentiveness. They watch for visual and verbal clues that indicate concern, agreement, and interest and they respond accordingly. They put the other person's agenda ahead of their own desire to close the deal or move the sales process forward.
If you are serious about increasing your sales in today's competitive business climate, you need to pay attention and stop being oblivious.