Ep. 10 How to Listen More and Sell More with Gerhard Gschwandtner

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Gerhard talks about how to listen more and sell more. It’s a fun episode that offers guidance on how to show up with a listening mindset and be present for the customer and ready to discuss the customer problem.

Episode Timestamps

[0:28] Gerhard Introduction

  • Salespeople talk too much:
    • Anxiety as a cause.
  • The first rule for having a good conversation is to prepare yourself:
    • Come in with a clean slate.
    • Mindset of being there for the other person.
    • Use the formula that Dr. Lyman K. Steil developed for listening.
  • Many reps will come in and fake listening and wait for the other person to say a trigger word that will then get them into their storyline.
  • Salespeople go in and hear the customer say something about having a thought and wanting to explore a different solution, and then instantly launch into a pitch into the solution without really knowing what the problem is.

[3:36] Story About Preacher in Midwestern Town

  • Do not immediately dump your entire pitch on your customer when they first walk in.

[5:43] Listening Model – How Do You Get Yourself Into the Listening Mindset?

  • You are talking to a human being, not a human doing.
    • Be present for that human being.
  • Practice mindfulness technique:
    • Breathe in – I am aware of my body.
    • Breathe out – I am letting go of all my tensions.
  • SIER Formula:
    • Step 1– Sensing.
    • Step 2– Interpret those senses.
    • Step 3– Evaluate what you have heard.
    • Step 4– Respond.
  • By following this formula you go through 3 steps before responding to your client.
    • Gives you a better chance of hitting your target.
  • Stop and ask questions if the other person is giving you a warning signal.

[10:41] Flow of Conversation

  • The state of flow is a magical state leads to the creation of something new:
    • Can forget where you are.
    • Can lose sense of time.
    • Everything is pushed back to the periphery.
  • You can go into the conversation with the customer intending to co-create something new and with the intention of being in the flow with them.

[12:28] Constructivism in Education

  • Point of view around the student/teacher relationship.
  • Dialogue and assimilation.
    • Both start to co-create this new way of being.
  • We, as salespeople, need to be “merchants of hope”.
  • If you find yourself being critical about the customer, it’s probably because you are being critical of yourself.

[18:23] Storyteller vs. Storyseller

  • Storyteller is when you do it for your own amusement.
  • Storyseller is strategic.
    • Have a number of stories that you can weave into your customer conversation at the most appropriate time.
  • Selling is a process of co-creation:
    • You create the questions, and the customer creates the responses.
  • If you are too far ahead of the customer, then you lose the customer.
  • If you are too far behind the customer, then the customer is going to lose you.
  • You want to be in step with the customer and be in the flow.

Additional Resources

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Credits
Sound editing and show notes produced by – ChirpSound

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