Whether or not you enjoy talking to people, if you don’t have well-rounded communication skills, you will never achieve what you set out to. The ability to communicate well with almost anyone is universally agreed upon as a key element of both successful selling and success in general.

You’ve probably been in a conversation with someone who didn’t really care if you understood what he said or not. There was no intention behind the words for the communication to be understood by you. Therefore, the one doing the communicating didn’t get his message across and the communication cycle broke down.

Not having the intention for a communication to be received and failing to notice if the other person was ready to receive a communication in the first place are two of the biggest causes of communication breakdowns which result in a failure to sell.The salesperson is so busy talking that he never realizes the prospect tuned out a long time ago.

It is not a coincidence that the top salespeople in any industry are also good communicators. They have the ability to listen to their prospects and not just aimlessly speak. And when they do speak, they do it very well and are able to communicate their ideas and the solutions that their product or service will bring to the prospect’s lives.

Your communication skills determine your chances of a sale – from the initial contact to the closing of the deal. Developing your conversational skills will help you build on a strong first impression by gaining trust and establishing credibility.

Sales training should help to learn key communication skills such as listening to the prospect to gain an understanding of what he or she truly needs and wants as well as the art of asking the right questions during the presentation. Training should also involve learning how to effectively communicate with all types of personalities and diverse populations.

Here are a few tips to improve your communication skills:

• Learn to be an exceptional listener
• Use good manners and powerful acknowledgements
• Display a genuine desire to understand your prospect’s needs and wants
• Take notes
• Ask questions and quietly listen, do not interrup
• Pay attention to the key words your prospect uses

One of the most important steps to improving your communication skills is to understand that listening well is far more important that speaking well.Practice the art of listening by controlling your desire to talk, care enough to pay attention so you don’t have the prospect repeat himself, take short notes and make sure you ask questions to clarify anything that needs deeper understanding.Always look at your prospect in the eye and always summarize the conversation to ensure you understand.

But most of all, master the art of listening.

~Lisa Terrenzi