Precision Listening
29th November 2016 | Whitten & Roy Partnership
How to prepare, execute, and learn from a new way to listen
Last issue, we shared with you our thinking around “The Art of Discovery” (International Journal of Sales Transformation, September 2016/Issue 2.3). We discussed a nearly universal problem faced by salespeople: that “selling” is equated with “pitching.” Day in and day out, it involves a process that includes: a) preparing one or more buying options for the customer, b) presenting these options in an engaging way, and c) persuading the customer to buy one of them.
Not only does this process consume significant time, talent and energy, it is the exact opposite of what great, professional selling is all about. It prepares and presents a solution before ensuring that the customer accurately identifies the problems they are trying to solve. Interestingly, this “selling style” is reinforced by a customer “buying style” that impulsively asks for – or, in the case of an RFP* or RFQ* – actually demands this approach.
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