I had an experience today that reminded me, once again, about the importance of listening. This weekend, my husband and I visited an open house in a desired neighbourhood east of the city. The house was very nice – the issue was with the realtor. He was very quick to explain the many features of the house – the problem was that he highlighted things that were not important to us; for example, miles of running and biking trails nearby when we don’t run or bike. I left the open house feeling like his sales pitch was more about him than us – so what’s the lesson here?

All of us at some point in time have been in, or will be, in sales. Don’t think for a minute only salespeople sell. If you’ve ever been interviewed, negotiated a pay raise or been on a date, you have been in sales! Selling, at its most basic level, is simply the art of convincing someone else to do something – whether that be take an action, support your idea or buy your product. Successful sales reps know that the most effective way to convince anyone to do anything is to first understand their needs. Don’t be like the realtor we met today who blathered on – take a minute to ask questions and then listen carefully. Only when we have a good appreciation of the other person’s needs, can we shape our response in such a way that it resonates. And when it resonates, people will buy.

Had the realtor simply asked more about our us, he might have learned that we are both avid golfers – then he might have shared the fact that there are three golf courses just a few minutes away. Or he might have learned that we have a dog - so rather than positioning those trails as running or biking routes, he could have shared that there are tons of trails to walk the dog nearby. See the difference?

Selling is not about you– it’s about understanding the other person’s needs. Take a minute to learn about your ‘customer’- and you will be in a much more effective position, whatever you are selling a product, an opinion or yourself!