Thinking about Sales: Just Listen!

Actionable Listening

By Dave Kahle

I recently came across some research that confirmed what many of us in the profession of educating sales people have known for years: That purchasers would be “much more likely” to buy from a sales person if that sales person would just “listen” to the customer. (1) The survey found that some of the worst offenders were experienced sales people.

Listening is one of the four fundamental competencies of a professional sales person, and yet, the profession is, in general, so poor at it that most customers remark on our inability to do it well.


Why is listening such a powerful sales competency?


First, it is our primary way of digging beneath the surface of a customer’s needs and uncovering deeper and more powerful needs and motivations.  That makes it a primary tool – of which the skillful use separates the master sales people from the mediocre.  For example, it doesn’t take any skill whatsoever to pick up an RFQ, a set of blueprints, or to write down a list of what the customer says he needs.  You don’t have to be a master listener to do that.  But to dig deeper and uncover deeper issues, that takes the ability to listen.


Lots of sales people would look up the price and provide it.  There.  Job done.


“What makes you interested in that?” he says.



“An abnormally high reject rate.”


I don’t have to take this scenario much further to make the point.  A visit with the production supervisor could very well result in a deeper understanding of the problem and the development of an alternative solution with a whole lot more gross margin to it.  The master sales person, exercising excellent listening skills, hears opportunities where many sales people don’t.  Listening is the primary tool for digging deeper and uncovering deeper and more significant issues in our customers.




Listening positions us as a consultant, not a peddler, in the eyes of the customer.  Ultimately, listening provides us our competitive edge.

So, how do we do it better?


Listen constructively.

My wife is a crisis counselor.  She talks about “listening empathetically.” That means she listens in order to understand what a person is feeling.  That is very appropriate for that type of work.  However, we are sales people.  It is more important that we listen “constructively.”  Think of “constructively – construction – building.”  We need to listen for things upon which to build.  Listen for opportunities, problems, opinions, etc. on which we can build our solutions.




Here’s how we think the sales interview should go.

  1. We ask a question.
  2. The customer answers.
  3. We ask another question.


  1. We ask a question.
  2. The customer answers.
  3. We respond to the answer.
  4. We now ask another question.


Here are two powerful responses:





2. Summarize and rephrase what the customer has said, and repeat it back to him.

This is similar to the one or two word techniques discussed above, more intense.  When the customer has finished answering your question, you say something like this:  “Let me see if I understand you correctly.  In other words, what you are saying is…………………………” Paraphrase and give him back your understanding of what he just said.

Like the prior technique, this is a powerful tool because it forces you to listen, it engages the customer, and it seeks agreement.  Using this a couple of times in the sales interview will make the customer feel good about you, ensure that you understand him, and create an atmosphere of agreement.

Ultimately, your ability to listen more effectively evolves out of your discipline to apply some of these techniques regularly and methodically.  If you are going to listen more effectively, you must first make the commitment to expend the effort to do so.



(1) Sales & Marketing Management Magazine, August, 2005

Image “Actionable Listening” by Beth Kanter on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

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Copyright MMXII by Dave Kahle

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