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Take Note
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T One
of the best ways to make your prospect feel listened to and to build your
credibility as a sales professional is to write down notes during your
conversations. Taking notes reinforces the notion that you are here to do
what you set out to do in the first place, and that is to help them find a
business solution. Taking
notes keeps your mind from drifting and keeps you right there in the
conversation. There is something about writing things down that really
keeps people focused on what is being said and helps later to organize the
important points. Taking notes also gives the impression of you being in
control—and able to make decisions that will help the prospect find
their solution. Taking
notes helps the customer to open up. It also gives you needed information
to refer back to if you have to later overcome an objection. It can be
even more powerful if you work from your notes to sum things up with the
client and to go for the close. “Let me see if I have this right. You
have told me that you are looking for a package that would include credit
card processing for your brick and mortar location; check guarantee and a
payment gateway for the web site you are building. Is there anything that
I have missed, or that you would like to add?” In
taking notes, make sure you use a tall pad with hard backing. Keep your
notes neat and legible, so that both you and the client can easily read
them. Where appropriate, use your notepad to draw diagrams to emphasize
the points you have been making verbally. There
are fewer positive signals you can send to the client than the one saying
you care, and that you are listening. When the prospect sees you writing
down things like their annual volume, store locations, pertinent details,
and even questions to yourself about their company, they’re likely to
think they’ve hit a home run! There is actually someone listening to
what they are saying, and not just trying to sell something.
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