The Desert of Arizona
Going to Be Sunny 33 Degrees
I used to be one of those people who couldn’t stop talking.
You know when someone’s talking to you and you already KNOW what you’re going to say next? And sometimes, when you don’t catch yourself, you turn off your ears and even start talking over them. You just can’t wait to jump in with what you want to say.
I’m sure you know someone like that. They’re not even listening to you. They’re just waiting to pounce on you with their next statement.
If you do this to prospective clients, you need to stop. Because you are ruining your chances of having great clients.
If you are talking even half as much as your prospective client, you are doing it wrong. Really.
Opportunities come to those who listen. As service providers, listening is what we do.
If you can’t listen, then you’re going to prescribe a solution too quickly. Before you’ve even given them a chance to explain the problem. You’re going to tell the prospect what they need before you ever hear them.
If you do that, the only two questions LEFT are: How much is it and how quickly can you do it?
And right there you will have lost. Do not pass go, do not collect $200… you are done.
This is why God invented the mute button on your telephone. If you can’t get your talking habit in check and your listening button set to ON, then just mute yourself. From the client’s point of view, the effect is the exact same. You just forced yourself into instant listening mode. 🙂
Every now and again, you ask a well placed question. There are two reasons for this. First, he who is asking questions is controlling everything. Second, you get valuable information you need to truly help the client.
If you’re hearing responses like, “That’s a really great question… I haven’t really thought about it that way before…”, you know you are on the right track. And responses like that are proof that you are differentiating yourself from everyone who came before you.
If this listening and asking skill is not one of the sharpest tools in your arsenal, then get this today and start working on it.