What Bartenders Can Teach Sales People #522

What Bartenders Teach Sales People Have you ever heard this quote from the stoic philosopher Epictetus? ‘We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.’ You probably have but way too many salespeople have never learned this lesson. Instead, as soon as there is a break in the conversation, they jump to a solution and start to pitch. And then they’re confused about why prospects don’t buy or return their calls. But consider a great bartender. They ask good questions and are more than happy to listen. Bar patrons are lonely for an empathetic ear and the same is true for your prospects. This is how bartenders build trust and a loyal following. You can do this too. Sellers can learn from bartenders by talking less and listening more. That’s the topic for today. Today’s Chapter: The Master Seller listens first to understand before being understood. By asking they receive, creating opportunities. Both bartender and psychologist, the Master Seller listens. Today’s Story For a week, Chris worked on the new product presentation and was thrilled to meet the new prospects. Pat and Chris sat at the front of the room, excited to give the presentation. But to Chris’s surprise, that’s not what happened. Pat kicked off the meeting by thanking the audience for the opportunity to present and then asked the prospects to restate their expectations for the meeting. This surprised Chris, since they had already had a discovery call. Pat asked about their challenges, struggles, things the prospects tried in the past, and frustrations the team was experiencing. Pat also asked about lost revenue, lost time to market, and lost hope. The conversation went on for 40 minutes. After uncovering all the questions, it was time to share their solution. Pat went directly to the 7th slide in the presentation, talked for 10 minutes, and by the end of the conversation, the prospects agreed to pilot a test project. This was good news! After exiting the conference room, Chris turned to Pat and said, “Wow, that didn’t go at all the way I thought it would go. We never even showed them the presentation.” “You’re right!” said Pat, “But great sellers listen first to understand, before pitching a solution. We did that. They appreciated it, and that’s how we advanced the sale. Sometimes, all a customer is looking for is an empathetic ear. We gave them what they wanted.” Take Action Quote There is a myth that great sellers are great talkers. In truth, great sellers are great listeners. Excessive and verbose presentations turn off prospective buyers who desire solutions, not entertainment. Lao Tzu wrote, “Those who know do not talk. Those who talk do not know. Close your mouth, be still. Relax. Stay out of the spotlight. Shut the doors. Smooth out the sharpness, Be at one with the Tao.” There are limitations to canned speeches and presentations. Showing empathy and restraint in talking is the best way to understand what buyers need, and discern if you can help. You can find wisdom in silence. How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers. Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help, showing what you have, and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See You can be yourself when selling. It’s all about helping others with their challenges and aspirations. I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discussed all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most importantly the right selling mindset. Stop fearing sales and embrace it. Learn the selling secrets for non-sellers and start making a difference today. Here is the entire back catalog of episodes in the sales podcast. Look here This is a production of Habanero Media Got a Question? Something about today’s episode got you thinking? Do you have a question or a comment you’d like to share? If so “babble me” an email here , or if you can’t wait chat Pat now. Maybe you’d like to share your musings on the podcast? Leave a voice message here. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Don’t worry about babbling, we prefer it. Listening Options You can find us on: Spotify iTunes Stitcher Player FM Spreaker The SalesBabble.com website click the player above on this page! The post What Bartenders Can Teach Sales People appeared first on Sales Babble Podcast .

You can listen to What Bartenders Can Teach Sales People #522 online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

What Bartenders Can Teach Sales People #522 is an episode from Sales Babble Sales Podcast | Sales Training | Sales Consulting |Sales Coaching by Pat Helmers: Sales Trainer, Sales Consultant, Sales Coach, Podcast Host.

This episode is 6:35 long.

This episode was published on Mar 26, 2024.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Sales Babble Sales Podcast | Sales Training | Sales Consulting |Sales Coaching when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.