Jola Cloud Solutions' Blog

Think of the best salesperson you know and the best interviewer on TV. Is there any trait they have in common? 

1. They empathise well

The one thing that stands out for me is empathy. The ability to understand the point of view of the person you are talking to - to be able to say what they are thinking. When you demonstrate this ability you build rapport and people start to trust you.

With some people empathy is instinctive, even genetic. They naturally ask questions rather than talk about themselves and are genuinely interested in other people. For others it is something to learn and develop.

2. They listen and uncover real problems

Active listening can be simple non-verbal cues like nodding your head and leaning forward, accompanied by encouraging grunts; “yes”, “ok’, “uhuh”, “I see”. These signal that you are listening and interested in what the person is saying. You can then guide the conversation using reflection (repeating what the person has said in a slightly different way). When dealing with a customer these techniques don’t only cement your position as trusted advisor, they also help you to uncover real problems and articulate the real costs of these problems. By introducing regular summaries into your conversation, otherwise known as testing understanding, you show that you have been listening, make sure you have all the salient points, reinforce areas you want to explore further and you give structure to the conversation.

3. They ask probing questions

Probing questions encourage people to speak more about relevant issues, negative things about alternatives/the status quo and positive things about you or your proposition.

“That must have been a shock, what did you do after you received such an unusually high phone bill?"

When you are helping customers to make the right decision you cannot do this unless you have all the information and they recognise the need to change. Active listening helps you to put your customer in a place where they can visualise the benefits of an alternative solution and they feel well disposed to you and your company to supply it. When you know a customer’s IT infrastructure so well this makes active listening even more powerful. You don’t need to waste time seeking facts and questions about business problems and the implications of those problems are incisive and informed. 

If when you are discussing ICT with customers you uncover a need to upgrade internet connectivity or telephony please consider Jola as a supply partner. Sign up to our quoting tool by clicking on the icon below and see how we compare.