Solar Success: The Art of Listening to Your Prospects
We have done an awful lot of talking about what you are supposed to say and how you are suppose to act and what you need to learn in order to present the business and service offerings. We haven’t talked very much about listening. We’re going to now because being a good listener is just as, if not more important, than knowing what to say. If you don’t know where a person is really coming from how are you going to know the right things to say to them. That comes from listening!
Mastering the art of listening will put you ahead of 90% of the people in the relationship building business. Do you know how to really listen? 20% of your time in conversation should be spent asking and answering questions. The other 80% should be spent listening to what the person is saying and NOT saying. The only way to read body language and those other non-verbal clues is to listen and watch. Both of which, you cannot do if you’re thinking about the next thing to say.
You can learn more by listening, than you ever can by talking. Talk and you lose. Listen and you win the respect of your prospect and the keys to understanding exactly what need you are to fulfill for them.
Lots of people working to build a business do a lot of telling and selling. They spend lots of time talking about their company and their products, instead of asking questions and finding out what the prospects interests really are. Your prospect will tell you everything you need to know if you’ll just listen.
Learn how to read body language. Learn how to tell people’s energy. You can learn everything you want to know about a person in the first minute or so if you learn how to do it.
Prospects love to feel listened to. Being listened to makes a person feel special. Are you a good listener, or do you interrupt so that you feel better about yourself? Most people don’t have someone to listen to them. When they find that, it opens their mind to the person who is listening to them. Listen without judgment and criticism. It will give your contact a level of trust in you that will open their mind. Listening is critical to developing a valuable business relationship.
If you don’t listen well, you’ll miss great opportunities. Developing your listening skills is critical to your building a successful solar energy business.
When you are talking to someone, really listen to them. Don’t be thinking about what you are going to say next. Make sure you hear what the person is saying, not just what you think you are going to hear. There is usually a tremendous difference. You’re going to have to teach yourself to master the art of listening.
Concentrate. Don’t hear just what they are saying. Watch their body language. What are their eyes saying? What are they NOT saying? That will tell you just as much as what they ARE saying. Listen below the surface. Listen affirmatively. Affirmative listening is listening for – not just listening to. You’re listening for what you need to know. Affirmative listening really connects you to the person you’re listening to.
There are a lot of good books about listening. Go get one of them. Read it. Study it. Make it a part of you. It will not only help you build your solar energy business. It will help you in every area of your life – in every relationship in your life.
Make use of questions. Ask questions like:
* Can you say more about that?
* What do you mean by that?
* Tell me more…
Mastering the art of listening takes commitment to change. It means making a commitment to really pay attention to the person you are listening to. They will tell you what you need to know. You already have a pretty good idea of whether you are a good listener or not. Just ask yourself honestly.
If there is massive room for improvement, get with it and strive to become better. Look & listen for ways to improve. Our collective futures depend on it. Make a difference everyday. Spread the word about “Joining the Solution”…the REnU Solar Solution to as many as you can.
