How To Sell More Of Anything

Effective Selling Is Not Selling

Perfect pitch in music is rare. Perfect pitch in sales is rarer still. It’s “perfect pitch” versus “the perfect pitch.” The key to selling more is not selling. It’s something else.

Recently I met with a potential consulting client. I left the meeting frustrated knowing I talked more than listened. I had to regroup and reevaluate. I was so busy pitching that I didn’t hear the tone of his business score and soul.

We’re often told how to create the perfect elevator pitch. It’s that one sentence or thirty second pitch that summarizes exactly what you can do for your potential customer.

The key to both of these pitches is simple: it’s your ears. Without the art of listening we have no pitch. Great music and great marketing needs listening. It’s a skill I have to admit is hard for me. My mind races ahead with everything I want to say instead of everything I need to hear. I sometimes forget that patient absorbing along with attentive focus leads to better understanding. Better understanding means better business.

So let’s listen to our leads and customers. The better we understand what they are really saying the better we can meet their needs and offer solutions.

Listen first and the pitch takes care of itself. The art of selling won’t happen without the art of listening.

Thanks for listening.

Stuart Atkins