The secret to influence isn't what you probably expect. The big secret to powerful influence is in the way you listen. You have to know how to listen to unlock this powerful influencing force.
Effective listening isn’t a natural skill and you make it unnecessarily hard for yourself. You make it hard to listen when you allow your mind to be cluttered with other thoughts, your thinking about what you’ll say next while the other person is still talking, you’re fatigued or in a hurry trying to rush the prospect, and you aren’t focused. All these bad behaviors keep you from really listening.
To listen effectively and increase your persuasion you need to be clear about what you’re listening for. You’re listening for understanding. There are definite questions you need to know the answer to that increase your understanding.
As you improve your listening skills you can track and measure your progress. Obtaining the answers to the key questions you need to know is one measure of your progress. The more important key measurement is if you help the prospect to open up and reveal the emotional reason for making a buying decision.
The reason listening is such a powerful influencing skill is because it builds rapport and trust quicker than anything else. The more the prospect tells you about themselves the more they trust you. The more convinced they are that you have their best interests as your goal.
Effective listening is a no pressure powerful influencing technique. As you listen and question to understand you’re helping the prospect to uncover and discover. You’re helping them to reach their own conclusions guided by questions that help them to focus and expand beyond their current understanding of their situation.
Prepare for effective listening before you talk. Clear your mind and relax. Know exactly why you’re meeting and what you need to learn about your prospect. As you listen for understanding you’re also listening for exclusion. If the prospect isn’t a good fit thank them for their time and move on to the next prospect. Increase your insurance sales by focusing on obtaining qualified prospects for your business.
Recognize that there is important information in seemingly irrelevant details. Sometimes the prospect may veer off on a tangent that doesn’t seem pertinent, yet they’re sharing that information for a reason and that reason may lead to the emotional hot button that motivates them to buy now. Don’t be afraid to take notes about what the prospect is telling you. For other ideas to increase your insurance sales success use the tools below.
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