Leadership In Sales Is About Listening (95/5!)

The goal is “95% and 5%.” Here’s why leadership in sales depends upon it.

I once heard an advisors tell me that the job description for most sales people was to ”Show Up and Throw Up” product information on their desk.  Yikes, that’s a guaranteed bad sales call! A successful sales person knows that his first job is to ”Show Up, Shut Up and Listen”. Great sales people know that they need to listen to learn to be successful. The best memory jogger is to plan on listening 95% of the time and talking no more then 5% of the time. Try it! Here are some other helpful tips:

1. Have a plan. Set a goal for each meeting.
2. Have well planned out questions that stimulate conversation and that get you the critical answers you seek
3. Remember the 10 minute gag rule (no product discussion unless the advisor initiates it).
4. The meeting is all about the advisor, not you.

1. You need the advisor to talk. If he doesn’t talk, you don’t learn.
2. You need the advisor to talk. If he talks, he will like you better.
3. You need the advisor to talk. If he doesn’t, you just had a bad meeting.
4. Focus what you say to be what you most want them to remember.
5. Practice well thought out lines of conversation
6. Take Notes. What the advisor says is important!

A successful sales person is great at having his clients tell him how to close them. Question, listen and take notes.