“He who speaks the least, earns the most” – Ryan Stewman
People that talk too much are perplexing.
You’ve met them.
They fill your airspace with their stream of consciousness for what feels like an eternity.
When you meet them, they don’t use greetings or ask about you.
Instead, they project their inner monologue without permission or restraint.
These folks have nothing relevant to say and anything of substance is buried under non-stop chatter.
Talkaholics in Sales can’t be trusted to close business at a high-level because they’re only focused on themselves.
While prospects are providing valuable pieces of information that could help close business, these salespeople are busy listening to the sound of their own voices.
We hear it everyday but it still doesn’t register.
Salespeople need to talk less and listen more because it’s never about us.
Good Talk Is Hard to Find
A successful sales process relies on discovering and uncovering.
Sales are made when Sales uncovers those key pieces of information.
Through their expertise, they communicate a plan of action to solve a client’s problems based on that discovery.
Closing in the big leagues requires sales’ understanding that corporations typically don’t need to be overhauled.
Their ability to function properly and efficiently depends on the synchronicity of multiple mechanisms.
Your responsibility as Sales is to uncover deficiencies within that framework and propose credible resolutions.
If you’re successful in one aspect of the business, you’ll gain access to other parts of that organization.
As you communicate with your buyers, listen for clues on how you could be of benefit to them but also keep your ears out for interdepartmental deficiencies and log jams.
Although the peripheral sale isn’t immediate, your awareness of how a prospect’s finance and legal, IT and Procurement, or Sales, Advertising and Marketing departments function is the catalyst for more business.
This is how you consult repeatedly with the same clients over the course of years.
Uncovering this advanced level of intel demands you ask the right questions and listen more than you talk.
The 3 Profiles of Sales Talk to Avoid All Cost
The Jaw-jacker never shuts up.
This salesperson has a tremendous product knowledge but can’t take a breath to acknowledge a prospect’s needs.
Jaw-jackers fear silence and use this platform to beat their prospects into submission via verbal onslaughts.
They have the highest number of cancelled contracts because prospects were coerced into signing without being adequately vetted or on-boarded.
Jaw-jackerus can talk to anyone at anytime but rarely closes deals.
They’re a one-hit blunder at best.
The Hijacker is the Best Man who can’t help but talk about himself during the wedding toast.
Hijackers have a total lack of self-awareness, tact, and timing and are notorious for interrupting conversations.
The hijacker, when not interrupting, only listens for the moment they can hijack the conversation and make it about them.
Because they can’t control their brain train, everything’s a trigger.
Every word uttered by someone else reminds them of a personal story that must be shared instantly.
Hijackers believe they’re great storytellers.
Unfortunately, it’s always the wrong story, at the wrong time, at someone else’s expense.
Hijackassaurus is all talk, no action or original thought.
This is why they steamroll other people’s conversations mid-stream.
The Jibber-Jabber says they can sell anything to anyone at anytime but never does.
Jibber-Jabber has limited product knowledge and swears by old-school sales tactics that don’t work on today’s educated buyers.
They have a back log of conquests and supporting stories yet, no one’s ever seen them close.
They refer to prospects as Victims.
Jibber-Jabber is your classic bullshitter and the reason salespeople everywhere get a bad reputation.
In fact, they’re so unaware they’ll continue to jibber-jabber even after you’ve turned your back.
All Talk
Talkaholics aren’t going anywhere.
As we continue perpetuating our narcissistic behavior in the Look at Me generation, it will only get harder for people to genuinely focus on the needs of others.
The sad truth about these characteristics and those who have them is that they don’t even know it.
These poor souls walk around losing deals and alienating friends without recognizing they’re the common denominator and the problem.
If you’re having trouble focusing on others or not getting enough intel on your calls, you simply need to ask more questions.
Prepare ten high-level questions to work into your conversations naturally.
Because great questions yield in-depth answers, you’ll find prospects revealing more once you show genuine interest and a willingness to help that goes beyond a commission check.
After a few weeks, the questions will be part of your lexicon.
Buyers may tolerate a motor-mouth but they won’t respect them.
Some of the attributes associated with talkaholics are insecurity, selfishness, narcissism, lack of intelligence or control freaks.
By talking too much, you become the face of these attributes and destroy your chances in the process.
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Closing large corporate clients requires that you establish a deep dialogue with your contacts and their colleagues over a period of time.
You won’t one-call close a corporate giant.
Instead of imitating the hyped-up closing techniques on social media, focus on due-diligence and listen more than you talk.
On this stage, less is definitely more.
“You can fool some people sometimes, but you can’t fool all the people all the time“.