Be The Last To Speak
As salespeople, we love to talk and often forget to listen actively.
One of the most challenging aspects of winning a sales negotiation is listening actively to our customers. You’ve probably been on the receiving end of objections like: “I don’t have the budget”, “I’m not willing to purchase at this time”, or “I need to consult with my manager/my team”.
“Be the last to speak”
Sinek, S. (2017)
Using a proven sales objection handling technique called the LAER process (devised and owned by Carew International), you’ll be able to investigate and overcome sales objections in deals. The method is a lot easier than you might think.
- Listen. Instead of analysing a customer’s body language, pay closer attention to what they are trying to tell you. Word of warning: don’t respond until they have finished talking!
- Acknowledge. For example, asking the customer if you understood the question correctly by rephrasing it or asking them to repeat something will show that you’ve listened to what they are saying. It also gives you more time to formulate your response
- Explore. It’s still not the time for your response! This is your chance to explore your client’s personal and business motives to buy from us
- Respond. It’s not about reacting but responding – there’s a difference. Make your response relevant by addressing our customer concerns. For example, if our customer is interested in how long it will take for our service or solution to be implemented, your response should satisfy this query, perhaps by evidencing your claims with case studies, reference sites, or the option for their talk with an existing user
LAER technique needs practice, so you can understand your clients and prospects better and provide highly targeted responses that will set you apart from your competitors. Be direct, be inquisitive, but always listen actively.
Bringing It All Together.
Listening actively is not rocket science, but it doesn’t come naturally to everyone, as we, as salespeople, love to talk. If you’ve been struggling when it comes to overcoming sales objections, LAER can help you.So, to recap: Listen to, Acknowledge, Explore, Respond. Be the last to speak!
DISCLAIMER. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author, and they are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organisation, company, individual or anyone or anything.