Communication skills play a very crucial role if you are a sales professional as it not only helps to understand your customer’s needs and requirements better but also helps you to close deals faster.
Here are a few communication skills and strategies you should follow to build good relationships with your potential customers and convert them into a buying customer.
Delivering your message in an effective way
You may often come across situations when you need to clearly explain a certain concept, incidence, an idea or a product. If you feel you have had difficulty explaining things in the least amount of time, do the following exercise.
Make a list of all the possible pointers and then put it in a structured way in accordance with their importance level.
Then select the important points and rehearse speaking about them. Make sure you think you have only a limited amount of time to explain each point. If you need reference, think about a short text message where you have to explain it under 140 characters.
Do this exercise again and again, till you develop the confidence, that way you will be able to deliver the required message in an effective way.
Ask Open-ended questions
An open-ended question cannot be answered by a YES or NO, and therefore requires more thought and more than a one word answer. Asking open-ended questions will give you more clarity & detailed answers by customers that would not have been possible by asking closed ended questions.
- Rapport building open-ended questions:
This is the first step of creating an impression and you are doing it by building a rapport. You can build a good relationship with your potential customer by asking them rapport building open-ended questions.
Here’s few examples:
– How’s your business doing these days?
– Do you face any major challenge in your industry?
- Qualifying questions:
Lead qualification is the process of understanding whether the lead is the right target for your product or whether he can benefit from your offering.
Here’s few examples:
– What problem are you trying to solve?
– What have you tried in the past?
- Closing questions:
Asking the right open-ended question at the right time will help you take prospects from interested leads to paying customers.
Here’s few example of such questions which you can ask that will help you “seal the deal” you’ve been eyeing:
– What’s your timeline of making a purchase?
– What else can I do to finalize your decision?
Active listening
It is very important to listen to your customer’s questions and doubts carefully. Let them speak uninterruptedly and make a list of important points which you can clarify and explain later. This way they will feel heard, understood & also create a mutual understanding between you and your customer.
Below are few tips on Active Listening:
Pay attention: Focus your attention on the speaker, making eye contact, and avoiding distractions.
Show interest: Use body language, like nodding or leaning in, to show that you are engaged and interested in what they are saying.
Clarify and paraphrase: Ask questions to make sure you understand the speaker’s meaning, and repeat back what they have said in your own words to show that you are listening.
Reflect emotions: Try to understand and reflect the speaker’s emotions by acknowledging their feelings and expressing empathy.
Avoid interrupting: Avoid interrupting the speaker, and allow them to finish speaking before responding.
Respond appropriately: Respond in a way that shows you understand their perspective, and avoid being defensive or judgmental.
These skills we discussed so far can make you a great sales professional. If you want to take your career to the next level, you can try our Business Development Professional course.
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