Who Talks More: Men or Women?

Guess who talks more: Men or Women?

If you guessed women, you would be wrong.

The results of a recent study show that men talk (slightly) more than women, particularly with strangers.

Now for sales purposes, this ability *can* be a good thing.

The good in this is that selling is about opening up and maintaining relationships with strangers.

The less fear one has around making conversation with strangers the better success you'll have as a salesman.

On the other hand though, I am sure that you have known as I have salesmen who talk too much.

The line between just right and too much talking is not defined by how many words are blathered. Instead the line is a blurry one defined more by how much one can get the prospect to open up and do the talking versus how much one talks at the prospect.

So whenever you are out selling ask yourself who is doing most of the talking: you, or your prospect?

If you find that you are talking more than half of the time, then you are talking too much.

Pay attention and notice. If you are talking too much, think of a question to ask your prospect.

That will shift the focus of the conversation off of your blathering about how great you or your products are and onto discovering something important about the prospect that will help you close the deal.

Sell with Pride,

Shameless Shamus Brown

P.S. Anyone can ask a question, but do you know the questions that rip open your prospect's feelings and cause them to attach themselves to you and your products instead of your competitors?