Selling is not talking. It's listening. You may have heard the saying "the first person who talks, loses". And, it's true most of the time. There are dozens of reasons to stop talking so you can start selling. Here are a few worth listening to:

Let Them Take Center Stage

Most people would rather talk than listen. When working with a prospective buyer it's a good idea to let their ego take center stage by allowing them do most of the talking. With a few well thought out questions you can learn a lot about how your product or service fits into their needs and wants. Remember, what's at stake is not your ego but a sale. So, let them exercise their ego for the sake of your sale. Let them talk so you can learn enough to start selling. It's a win ? win opportunity, their ego gets stroked and your sale gets made.

Let Them Load the Gun

Everything you can learn by listening is a potential bullet when it comes to pulling the trigger on closing a sale. As they talk about their concerns and interests you should be listening for the bullet points to shoot back at them during the closing stages of the sales conversation. Don't make the mistake of talking over the key points people will give you if you'll listen to them. You want to take careful aim with the bullets they've loaded. If you don't stop talking, you might just shoot yourself in the foot.

Let Them Circle the Wagons

Given a chance, most people will tell you their objections and voice their concerns. It's only natural to become defensive when you're in the middle of a decision making process. Again, some pre-planned questions, a good understanding of the key bullet points and a listening ear will help you break through the barriers a person will present. As tightly circled as the wagons of their defense might be there's always a way into the center of their concerns and an opportunity to close the sale. If you're too busy trying to talk your way in, you'll surely miss any openings that exist to make the sale.

The hardest thing to do is to stop talking, but it's the easiest way to start selling.

Reprinted from The Profit Puzzle - Free Small Business Course, an ideal business tool for anyone thinking about, planning, starting, running or growing a small or home-based business.

Copyright 2005 Don Osborne - All Rights Reserved.