Irony In Sales

Sales is all about talking…. right??

We tell potential buyers (of ideas or products) why they are the best fit for the product? We convince them to the best of our ability to get the sale passed through?

The era of “telling” is over in sales. Successful salespeople know how to “shut up and listen.” In fact, sales is actually 70% listening and only 30% talking. It is more important to ask questions to get to understand the buyer and their wants rather than to just tell them things that they may not want to hear.

In my personal experience with eBay selling, I found that listening to the wants of the buyer made me a more appealing seller because I sounded caring and transparent. In one case, I was selling a set of Nike irons to a man in California. The entire transaction was transparent. He told me that he needed the clubs to be shipped out within the next two days. My original post on eBay was an auction post or make an offer, so he realized that he should pay on the higher end if he wanted the clubs now. He offered $400, but I responded with a $500 counteroffer. He said that he would not like to pay that much, but he would do what it takes. I respected his honesty and met him at the middle at $450. I was appreciative that he was willing to pay more to get the clubs sooner, and I responded by shipping the clubs out that day. He got the clubs in time for his trip left a positive review on my eBay. We were thankful on both sides.

During this transaction, I listened to the buyer’s concerns first, and he listened to the offers I was making. Listening and understanding the wants of the buyer allowed me to make a reasonable offer and close the deal. I did not just merely try to “close the deal” and rant to him about why the clubs were high quality and rare (some of the last Nike Irons in the business). It may seem counterintuitive, but listening truly is the most important part of selling, not talking.