Have you found it difficult to land sales while cold calling? Making a connection over the phone isn’t easy, and it can be even more difficult if you aren’t properly guiding the conversation. Active listening is the perfect remedy for a disjointed cold calling experience.
Here are some insights to become a better active listener in sales, and improve your cold calling.
What is Active Listening?
Active listening is the practice of listening to the words someone else is saying, and also taking into account context, tonality, and other social queues to help you respond more appropriately.
For example, if you call someone to discuss their IT setup and ask about their current situation, they might say something along the lines of,
“I already have a perfectly fine IT partnership.”
If someone is not practicing active listening, they may respond with,
“OK, there is probably still room for improvement. Let’s set up a meeting and introduce ourselves.”
For a busy prospect, this can come off as pushy or flippant and turn them away from your services. However, when revisiting their initial response, it looks like you may need more context to uncover where the holes in their services lie. Asking a question like,
“What about your current services are you happy about?” or “What makes you nervous about your current IT relationship?” can help you further understand where a prospect is at with their setup.
Active listening is all about considering the person on the other end of the conversation as much as what they are saying.
Why is Active Listening Important?
Running your business consumes countless hours of your time, both on and off the clock. So when you pick up the phone to start generating new leads and finding new clients, you need to capitalize your time to the best of your ability.
When you implement active listening into your cold calling routine, not only will you be received better in most cases, but you should see an uptick in your successful sales. In addition to this benefit, there are also other positives to practicing your active listening and using it when you prospect.
Setting Productive Agendas
When you actively listen to what your prospects say, you can often pinpoint a pain point and use it to sell your services or products.
If you notice that the person you are speaking to is struggling with response times or availability with their current setup for cleaning, IT, etc., this is a perfect opportunity to tell them about your commitment to timely services. This is a great way to tee yourself up for a productive meeting if they agree to an introduction.
Nailing the First Impression
Cold calling is tough by nature because the other person is judging your business based on everything you say on the phone. While this sounds like a harsh reality, don’t be discouraged.
By keeping your tone and demeanor friendly, the other person should feel more at ease and open to what you have to say. Adding in your active listening skills to make them feel heard and seen can only help you put your best foot forward.
Weeding Out Non-ideal Prospects
Not every prospect you call will present the perfect or even ideal opportunity for your business. For some IT companies, it has to do with the number of computers or units, and for commercial cleaning companies, square footage plays a large role.
Each company has some parameters for a perfect partnership, and through active listening, you can determine whether your relationship will be mutually beneficial.
Much like finding the perfect puzzle piece, actively listening to the prospect on the phone will help you locate the right match with greater accuracy.
B2B appointment setting is critical for lead generation and getting your business in front of the right people. With Abstrakt, cold calling just got easier. Our team of professional Business Development Representatives are highly trained in active listening and productive agenda-setting to generate qualified leads.
How to Become an Expert Active Listener in Sales
Active listening is a crucial skill that can significantly enhance your communication abilities, relationships, and overall effectiveness in both personal and professional settings. This skill involves more than just hearing words; it’s about understanding, interpreting, and responding thoughtfully. It also makes for a highly effective sales development representative. Here are some essential techniques to become an expert, active listener.
Listen More than You Talk
One core principles of active listening on sales calls is to prioritize listening over talking. When engaged in a conversation, focus on the speaker’s words, tone, and body language. Resist the urge to interrupt or plan your response while the other person is talking. Instead, focus completely on listening.
This not only shows respect but also allows you to fully comprehend their message. In a world where everyone is eager to share their own opinions, being a good listener can set you apart and make others feel valued.
Mirror Tone and Cadence
Mirroring is a subtle yet powerful technique in active listening. It involves matching the speaker’s tone of voice, pace, and energy level. If the speaker is calm and slow-paced, you should adopt a similar demeanor.
Conversely, if they are enthusiastic and fast-talking, matching their energy can help create a sense of alignment and rapport. Mirroring helps the speaker feel understood and connected, facilitating a more open and honest dialogue.
Find Connections Between Concepts
Active listening also means finding and acknowledging connections between the concepts being discussed. This involves identifying themes, patterns, or relationships in the speaker’s message.
By linking different parts of the conversation, you demonstrate that you are following along and understand the bigger picture. This technique also helps in making more insightful contributions to the conversation, as you can draw on previously mentioned points to support your responses.
Ask Open-Ended Questions
Open-ended questions are essential tools for active listening in sales. Unlike closed-ended questions that can be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ open-ended questions require more thought and elaboration. These questions encourage the speaker to expand on their thoughts and feelings, providing you with a deeper understanding of their perspective.
Examples of open-ended questions include: “Can you tell me more about that?” or “How did that make you feel?” By using open-ended questions that encourage conversation, you can guide it to a more meaningful and productive place.
Summarize Intermittently
Periodically summarizing the speaker’s message is an excellent way to show that you are actively listening and to ensure that you have accurately understood it. You can do this by paraphrasing the main points and repeating them back to the speaker.
For example, “So, what you’re saying is that the current project deadlines are causing you a lot of stress because you feel there’s not enough time to complete the tasks.” Summarizing not only reinforces your understanding but also provides the speaker with an opportunity to correct any misunderstandings.
Be Curious, Not Judgmental
Ted Lasso once uttered these words when explaining how he overcame adversity by seeking to understand rather than judge. As a perfect approach to active listening, you should go into conversations with curiosity and an open mind. Avoid making judgments or assumptions about the speaker’s words or intentions. Instead, seek to understand their viewpoint fully.
Curiosity drives you to ask more questions and go deeper into the conversation, while judgment can create barriers and shut down communication. By maintaining a non-judgmental attitude, you create a safe space for the speaker to express themselves openly.
Active Listening in Sales Examples
Here are some examples of how active listening can be effectively implemented in real sales conversations and B2B appointment setting.
1. Addressing Common Objections
Sales Rep: Hi Henry, this is Alyssa from Abstrakt. Do you have a few minutes to discuss your sales engagement tactics and successes?
Prospect: Actually, things are going really well in that area. Our campaigns perform well consistently.
Sales Rep: That’s great to hear! So, it seems like you’re satisfied with your cold calling success and aren’t looking for any assistance with that. Is that correct?
Prospect: Yes. Our marketing team has done an excellent job with our outreach.
Sales Rep: Excellent. When I speak with people in your position, the next challenge is often figuring out how to reach a larger audience with the same amount of effort. Given your campaign success, would you be interested in that?
Prospect: Actually, yes. But we don’t have enough staff to handle more outreach right now.
Sales Rep: I completely understand. So your concern is about managing increased outreach without sufficient sales reps to handle the volume?
Prospect: Exactly, that’s a major concern.
Sales Rep: That’s good to know. At Abstrakt, we specialize in B2B appointment setting and lead generation. Let’s set up a meeting next week to discuss how we can help. How does Tuesday at 2:00 PM work for you?
2. Acting as a Trusted Advisor
Prospect: I’m extremely frustrated that we didn’t meet our annual revenue goal again this year. It’s constantly on my mind. This setback means we absolutely need to make changes for next year, or we’ll be in serious trouble.
Sales Rep: I can definitely understand your frustration. This sounds like a stressful spot to be in, and I think changes could be a great place to start. Would it be fair to say that achieving this goal next year is a top priority?
Prospect: Yes, absolutely.
Sales Rep: What strategies have you considered so far?
Prospect: We’ve tried ___ and ___. I’ve also thought about ___.
Sales Rep: Those are good strategies. Have you ever considered a professional lead generation company? We have had a few clients in your same position and were able to get them back into a comfortable place with their annual revenue.
Prospect: I haven’t yet, but that sounds like a good idea.
Sales Rep: Let’s set aside some time to go over what Abstrakt does, and how we can help you get started on tackling this issue.
The underlying theme in each example is digging deeper and considering the other person. Every call is an opportunity for your business, so you have to make the most of it. Keep in mind that not every call will have a clear pain point like in example two, so utilize those active listening skills to uncover opportunities for growth.
Why Your Business Needs Active Listeners on Your Sales Team
Incorporating active listeners into your sales team can transform the way your business engages with prospects and clients. Active listeners are adept at truly understanding the needs and concerns of potential customers, which allows them to tailor their approach and build stronger relationships. By listening more than they talk, these sales professionals can identify key pain points and provide relevant solutions, enhancing the overall customer experience.
Moreover, active listeners excel at asking open-ended questions and summarizing conversations, ensuring clarity and alignment throughout the sales process. This leads to more meaningful interactions and helps in overcoming objections effectively. By demonstrating empathy and understanding, active listeners can establish trust and rapport, which are crucial for closing deals and fostering long-term client relationships.
In a competitive market, having sales professionals who can connect with clients on a deeper level gives your business a distinct advantage. With skilled appointment setters in your corner, your sales development can begin making the strides you’ve been waiting for.
Key Takeaways
Active listening is a vital skill for improving cold calling and overall sales performance. By prioritizing listening over talking, matching tone and cadence, and asking open-ended questions, sales professionals can better understand and connect with prospects. This approach allows them to uncover pain points and tailor their solutions, leading to more successful interactions.
Incorporating active listening into your sales strategy can help set productive agendas, create positive first impressions, and identify the most promising prospects. Key active listening skills include mirroring the speaker’s tone, finding connections between concepts, summarizing intermittently, and maintaining curiosity without judgment. These techniques foster trust and rapport, which are essential for closing deals and building long-term relationships.
Abstrakt is an experienced lead-generation marketing company that employs highly trained active listeners to help your business get closer to its ideal sales pipeline. By consistently giving your business the opportunity to make sales through our cold-calling efforts, your team can focus on making sales and turning revenue.
