Pay attention and listen.

I had a quick trip to the midwest this week to make a presentation to a very large and prestigious Academic Institution and like a good student I did more listening than speaking and the outcome was terrific.

I did have the advantage of watching a competitor give their presentation because this was a state institution and the law requires everything to be public.  Like a good student, I took advantage of this opportunity to gather some intelligence before it was our turn.   Smart move…  I noticed that the “other guy’s” presentation seemed to get stuck and I knew this was not something I wanted to do if we wanted to maximize the dialogue and make sure I learned everything I could so we could maximize our solution.

I wasn’t sure exactly what they wanted to hear but I did realize that I would never figure that out if we did all the talking when we were up to bat.  The goal was to engage,  let them talk and ask questions and continue down the path they wanted to go.   Listen!!!

I am convinced that the most important factor in winning business is not the product.  It really is up to the salesperson and the ability to connect, listen, and be an excellent communicator.  Let’s face it, everything else is pretty equal when it comes to product differentiation in a competitive market…some are better at one feature while another is better at this…

Be a sponge and just give your buyer what they want in a sincere and natural way and watch the results.

Brick