Sales Tips From One of the the Top Sports Training and Consulting Companies- 
Altitude Premium Consulting

BennettTIPS
Weekly Sales Training Tips From Greg Bennett of Altitude Premium Consulting 
a Kroenke Sports Enterprises 
Partner Organization 

Non-Verbal Communication

The hidden language of sales...

Week 3:  Non-Verbal Ways of Becoming a Better "Listener" (and not just to words) and presenter in the sales call

The first two weekly tips on NonVerComm (our abbreviated name for Non-Verbal Communication) covered a general overview of the topic (week 1) along with using the strategies at the beginning of a call (week 2).  We're now going to address what happens in the middle of a sales call when we're listening to the client and his or her needs, as well as when it's our time to present. 

Several studies and surveys have shown that salespeople are TERRIBLE listeners.  To be fair, it's not just salespeople, but ALL PEOPLE are generally lousy listeners.  

There are several reasons why we're not good listeners:

• We listen at about 100 words a minute...and think at about 1,500 words a minute.  So as someone is talking, we're thinking, imagining, processing, daydreaming, etc.  These same studies show that we may HEAR 75% of what is being said, but we really RETAIN only about 20%...and that is on just "surface talk", let alone the "deeper meanings" that lie beneath the surface..
  
  

• We love to talk...to give our viewpoint...to share our solutions...to barf-up our features and benefits, etc.  So as clients are talking we're busy thinking of what we're going to say next...
  
  

• We, unfortunately, aren't all that interested in how other people feel...we're mostly interested in making our important points...

The non-verbal communication we send out while trying to listen reflects all of these short-comings.  We squirm in our seat as the client talks, itching to get our two-cents in.  We loose eye contact when someone is speaking and start accessing our next piece of brilliance we simply MUST share.  We nod our heads, cut people off and finish their sentences -- saying basically, "Yeah...yeah...yeah...hurry up so I can tell you what I think about that..."

Showing That We're Listening: 

My model of selling is based on the skill sets of the Psychiatrist, and they've mastered the ability to listen at much deeper, much more focused levels.  And there are several non-verbal things we can do to make this happen (you should review week 2's tips as well as these same strategies will be applied here).

• Lean Back and Put Your Hands in a Pyramid -- studies have shown that this is the most powerful body language for conveying confidence... centeredness... quietness...focus...

      

You'll want to lean back, put your hands like this in front of you, with your fingers about touching your chin, and focus on the client as he or she is talking.  NOTE: IF YOU DON'T HAVE ARMRESTS ON YOUR CHAIR, THIS MAY BE DIFFICULT AS YOUR ARMS WILL BE IN THE AIR AS IF YOU SHOULD BE CHANTING...OMMMM... OMMMMM.  

You'll have to break out of this on occasion to write, but it should be your natural resting point.

Another side benefit of this pose is you can quickly drop to your knees and pray you get the order....just kidding...sort of.

• Use Your Facial Expressions  -- instead of just plastering on a fake grin like you're suppressing a bodily function, we need to employ several facial expressions as the client talks.  Show surprise (raised eyebrows).  Show curiosity (raised eyebrows, slight tilt of the head). Show concern (slight frown).  Show confusion (slight frown quick head move left and right).
     

• Show Contemplation and Use Silence -- we want to show that we're "deeper" than the average sales geek that can only "Show up, Throw up and Split", we are doing consultative-sales here so we've got to look like a consultant, not a pouncing salesperson.  Occasionally, just stop, drop your pad and pen and glance up as if you're thinking and processing the many things you've heard.   SILENCE IS OKAY...SILENCE IS OKAY...SILENCE IS OKAY (did you get that yet?)
  
  

• Ask for Constant Clarification (THIS ONE ISN'T REALLY "NON-VERBAL" BUT IT'S IMPORTANT) -- in order to INSTANTLY become a MUCH, MUCH better listener is to employ what I call the 'GREEN LIGHT PHRASES".  These are things like: "meaning...tell me more about that...interesting, talk more about...can you elaborate... by__________ you mean what?"

Non-Verbal Communication (Along With Some Verbal Tips) to Be Used When Presenting:  

Presentations usually turn into monologues where the client is sitting back, trying to listen (remember they TOO are usually bad listeners and are often daydreaming), as the salesperson drones on and on about their features, benefits, research, etc. etc.

We can do some simple things while presenting to break up this monotonous monstrosity:  

• Hold On to Your Presentation and Limit What is Seen -- instead of letting the client's eyes (and thus mind) wander anywhere they wish, don't give them the presentation to follow along.  Hold onto it and go through it page by page.  You can even cover pieces of the page to force a focus on the areas you're talking about.
  

• Stop and Get Feedback -- this is a verbal thing, but you should stop on occasion in the presentation and ask for feedback...this is to get the client out of their fog...and to find out what they're thinking about the wonderful things you've been saying (you'll usually wake them up with this):

  • "What are your thoughts on that fact?"   "Tell me how that option makes you feel"

These are just a few quick tips to employ when presenting.  Next week, we'll review the non-verbal things we can do when closing.  

Exercises for the Week:

• Do the "hand tee-pee thing" and see how that works for you

• Give those facial expressions a shot, along with the Green Light Phrases and see if you don't get more and more information from the client

• Try giving a presentation in this new fashion and see if you don't get more feedback, more clarity and more engagement from the client when presenting 

Next Week:  

Week 4:  Non-Verbal Methods to Use When Closing 

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Greg Bennett, a partner in the innovative brand expansion and consulting organization, Altitude Premium Consulting,  LLC, has been one of the top sales and sales management trainers in professional sports and entertainment since 1988.  He has created and delivered training programs for over 80+ professional sports teams and leagues, along with several Fortune 500 companies.   Altitude Premium Consulting provides training as well as the creation of premium-branded goods for pro sports teams, entertainment companies and corporate sponsors, and is in a partnership relationship with Kroenke Sports Enterprises, owners of the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Pepsi Center, the Colorado Mammoth and several other sports and entertainment entities throughout the United States.  Bennett can be reached at (303) 405-6110, or you can email Greg directly at gbennett@pepsicenter.com .