just looking.” Now compare that to the joy we feel when we actually find something we like and decide to purchase it. Most of us enjoy buying and the pleasure the purchase will provide, but we resist efforts to be sold.

Similarly, a good salesperson listens to what the prospects desires are, what frightens them about the decision, and interactively helps them to make a buying decision. Helping someone buy is in fact a sales outcome, but the mindset is totally different. Your friends go shopping with you and will

Sales people will occasionally make the mistake of assuming that the responsibility for the conversation with the prospect or customer rests solely with them and so they therefore become very uncomfortable with silences or pauses in the discussion. Still other sales people are fearful to stop talking because they worry that in the absence of their continuous chatter, the prospect will do one of three things:

1. Ask a question they are unprepared to answer or do not know how to respond to on the spot. The salesperson worries that they will seem less competent if this should happen, and is therefore to be avoided at all costs. In certain sales people, this worry is so great, that they will make up answers to question they do not know the correct answer to in order to avoid looking badly in the eyes of the customer. Clearly this is ill-advised and is not encouraged.
2. The other thing feared by the salesperson who is focused on creating a monologue instead of a dialogue is that as soon as the monologue stops, that the customer will raise an objection and that it will become confrontational. The thinking goes that as long as I am talking, you can’t squeeze an objection in and so the sales presentation is still being well received. Obviously, this is temporary at best. Eventually, the salesperson will have to take a breath and come up for air.
3. The last thing feared, and in some perverse way is also the thing most likely to happen as a result of this sales approach is that the prospect chooses not to buy. Believing that if I keep talking, I still have a chance at the sale, the sales person actually pushes the prospect or customer further away.

Conversely, the salesperson that engages the customer in a dialogue and listens to what the prospect says and asks actually stands to improve the chances of making the sale. Few of us actually like to be sold. As an example, think about your automatic reaction when you are at your favorite store in the mall and the sales clerk comes over to ask, “Can I help you?” Most of us answer almost reflexively, “No thanks, just looking.” Now compare that to the joy we feel when we actually find something we like and decide to purchase it. Most of us enjoy buying and the pleasure the purchase will provide, but we resist efforts to be sold.

Similarly, a good salesperson listens to what the prospects desires are, what frightens them about the decision, and interactively helps them to make a buying decision. Helping someone buy is in fact a sales outcome, but the mindset is totally different. Your friends go shopping with you and will

worries that they will seem less competent if this should happen, and is therefore to be avoided at all costs. In certain sales people, this worry is so great, that they will make up answers to question they do not know the correct answer to in order to avoid looking badly in the eyes of the customer. Clearly this is ill-advised and is not encouraged.
2. The other thing feared by the salesperson who is focused on creating a monologue instead of a dialogue is that as soon as the monologue stops, that the customer will raise an objection and that it will become confrontational. The thinking goes that as long as I am talking, you can’t squeeze an objection in and so the sales presentation is still being well received. Obviously, this is temporary at best. Eventually, the salesperson will have to take a breath and come up for air.
3. The last thing feared, and in some perverse way is also the thing most likely to happen as a result of this sales approach is that the prospect chooses not to buy. Believing that if I keep talking, I still have a chance at the sale, the sales person actually pushes the prospect or customer further away.

Conversely, the salesperson that engages the customer in a dialogue and listens to what the prospect says and asks actually stands to improve the chances of making the sale. Few of us actually like to be sold. As an example, think about your automatic reaction when you are at your favorite store in the mall and the sales clerk comes over to ask, “Can I help you?” Most of us answer almost reflexively, “No thanks, just looking.” Now compare that to the joy we feel when we actually find something we like and decide to purchase it. Most of us enjoy buying and the pleasure the purchase will provide, but we resist efforts to be sold.

Similarly, a good salesperson listens to what the prospects desires are, what frightens them about the decision, and interactively helps them to make a buying decision. Helping someone buy is in fact a sales outcome, but the mindset is totally different. Your friends go shopping with you and will

l raise an objection and that it will become confrontational. The thinking goes that as long as I am talking, you can’t squeeze an objection in and so the sales presentation is still being well received. Obviously, this is temporary at best. Eventually, the salesperson will have to take a breath and come up for air.
3. The last thing feared, and in some perverse way is also the thing most likely to happen as a result of this sales approach is that the prospect chooses not to buy. Believing that if I keep talking, I still have a chance at the sale, the sales person actually pushes the prospect or customer further away.

Conversely, the salesperson that engages the customer in a dialogue and listens to what the prospect says and asks actually stands to improve the chances of making the sale. Few of us actually like to be sold. As an example, think about your automatic reaction when you are at your favorite store in the mall and the sales clerk comes over to ask, “Can I help you?” Most of us answer almost reflexively, “No thanks, just looking.” Now compare that to the joy we feel when we actually find something we like and decide to purchase it. Most of us enjoy buying and the pleasure the purchase will provide, but we resist efforts to be sold.

Similarly, a good salesperson listens to what the prospects desires are, what frightens them about the decision, and interactively helps them to make a buying decision. Helping someone buy is in fact a sales outcome, but the mindset is totally different. Your friends go shopping with you and will

still have a chance at the sale, the sales person actually pushes the prospect or customer further away.

Conversely, the salesperson that engages the customer in a dialogue and listens to what the prospect says and asks actually stands to improve the chances of making the sale. Few of us actually like to be sold. As an example, think about your automatic reaction when you are at your favorite store in the mall and the sales clerk comes over to ask, “Can I help you?” Most of us answer almost reflexively, “No thanks, just looking.” Now compare that to the joy we feel when we actually find something we like and decide to purchase it. Most of us enjoy buying and the pleasure the purchase will provide, but we resist efforts to be sold.

Similarly, a good salesperson listens to what the prospects desires are, what frightens them about the decision, and interactively helps them to make a buying decision. Helping someone buy is in fact a sales outcome, but the mindset is totally different. Your friends go shopping with you and will

just looking.” Now compare that to the joy we feel when we actually find something we like and decide to purchase it. Most of us enjoy buying and the pleasure the purchase will provide, but we resist efforts to be sold.

Similarly, a good salesperson listens to what the prospects desires are, what frightens them about the decision, and interactively helps them to make a buying decision. Helping someone buy is in fact a sales outcome, but the mindset is totally different. Your friends go shopping with you and will help you buy through knowing you, asking you questions about how you see yourself using the product, etc. Contrast that against how poor salespeople approach the prospect and try to cajole or convince the person to accept the product. A top notch salesperson spends more of the time asking questions, listening, and allowing silences work for them. In the silence, many times, the prospect will feel the slight discomfort and will offer more insight or information for the salesperson to build upon.