Shut up & Sell More, by Mark Blezard

Yes, the less you say the more you might sell.

You’ll be surprised just how much your prospects like to talk about their business. And the more they talk the more you learn about how you can help them – or, in some cases, that you can't but freeing you up to quickly move on without wasting valuable time.

And when it comes to closing, anyone who thinks that selling is all about having the ‘gift of the gab’ is going to have a hard time out there. Three essential skills in negotiation & closing are Silence, Listening, and Timing.

So, if you are a ‘fast-talking, entertaining charmer,’ it might be time to have a rethink. Check out our Directional Selling notes for guidance on qualifying (70% of your meeting should be asking questions and listening); and why not run a sales skills assessment on yourself to find out for real just how good your use of Asking Probing Questions and Matching skills are.