Ask anyone for the top ten things that make a great salesperson, and they'll most always mention "communication skills" as an essential ingredient for success. That's no surprise, since effective communication influences just about everything we do. The fact is that most people think they are a better communicator than they really are. To go even further, many sales people could improve their results dramatically by improving their personal communications skills just a little.
As a test, pay attention to how others communicate for just a couple of days. Listen to and watch carefully, your colleagues, customers, friends, even your spouse! Here's what you'll find yourself thinking:
- Boy, does she talk fast!
- He is not listening to me.
- He's more interested in talking about himself.
- She's really boring.
- He never looks your directly in the eye.
- She goes into way too much detail.
- His closing technique is too aggressive.
- She likes to us a lot of "million dollar" words when he talks.
Having made these observations, you might ask yourself if you are guilty of them as well. Ask your friends, spouse or someone else you trust, to evaluate your communication skills. The results may surprise you! Provide your evaluator with ideas such as the check-list below, covering specific areas you're concerned about. - Do you talk so fast that people have a hard time following you?
- Do you tend to go into a lot of detail when it isn't really necessary?
- Do you avoid eye contact when you are talking to someone?
- Are you clear and concise in your information and instructions?
- Do you talk too much, dominating most one-on-one conversations?
- Are you more interested in talking about yourself than listening to someone else?
These are some tough questions, but important ones. How we communicate says a lot about us in so many ways. People like to work with people they are comfortable with, and how you communicate either makes someone comfortable working with you or not. The best place to start becoming an even better communicator is to uncover your faults… and we all have them. If there was one thing you could do to improve your communication skills, what would that be? Start there, and you are on the road to strengthening the communication skills that will serve you for a career… and a lifetime.
