In an ever-evolving digital marketplace, the ability to connect authentically with clients has become the cornerstone of successful sales strategies.

Learn how to ask for permission in a way that builds trust, why authenticity is your best asset in avoiding robotic, scripted responses, and the art of tailoring communication to align perfectly with your prospect's buying style with expert Nancy Zare.

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Read the Blog Post: Master Active Listening in Sales

Be a Great Communicator By Not Speaking

We have two ears and one mouth and we need to use them in that proportion, and I know people have heard that before.

But I want to emphasize that listening requires work. Active listening actually raises the body's temperature. You might even sweat a little bit when you're actively listening, because you're not just hearing the words somebody's using, you're going beyond the words and you're hearing the message, and in some cases the message is a content and it also is an emotion.

Hence, I'd have to say that learning, learning, listening is one of the most underrated skills, but one of the best skills that you can develop to be successful in selling.

Listen On Social Media

The way I listen is with my eyes.

Now, of course, that sounds ridiculous. Right, we see things with our eyes, we listen with our ears, but when you are on social media, it's mostly the input. It tends to be a lot of written things as well as pictures.

Well, there's a lot you can learn by with your eyes, by listening, by looking closely at the photos that are posted, as well as the content.

4 Buying Styles

Again, now, I happen to be called the Sales Whisperer or the LinkedIn Whisperer because of the fact that I'm able to teach you the skill of looking at somebody's post and identifying what their personality style, or what I call the buying style, is through that photo and through the words.

And there are actually four styles. Most people are familiar with DISC, Myers-Briggs, just to name a few of those systems.

Most of them require some sort of test. The individual has to fill out a form, and then there's an analysis and you find out what your style is.

Well, I actually teach my clients, and I can teach you very quickly to look at somebody's photo and identify their style.

They don't even have to say a word and, again, if you're listening closely, you know what it is that that person values in the way that they've just presented themselves through their photo.

How Does AI Affect Listening?

If they're using AI and they've distorted their photo, even that is a clue about their style, why they've chosen to use AI. For example, some people will put up cartoony type photos of themselves.

There's probably a motivation underneath, and remember, I'm a psychologist, and the motivation underneath is so I can figure out what people's style are.

And so when somebody putting up a cartoon character, one they might not feel comfortable being seen as they are and that is very typical of a particular style who is a bit shy and feeling unsure about their social presence.

Or the other reason somebody puts up a cartoon picture is to get attention, they want you to take notice because it's different, it stands out, it's not the norm.

So you're dealing with one of those two types of personalities.

Personal Values Can Change a Sale

Not everybody is approaching the sales conversation with the same motive or the same value.

Some people it's efficiency. "You know what I have in mind. I need a service, I need this product. Let's get it done, let's get, let's go and and then maybe we can chit, chat and get to know each other."

Other people it's like "I'm the tire kicker. I've got to get more information, I need to get the data, I need to get the statistics, I need to see the big picture before I could go forward," and so forth. So there are different values when people are in a sales conversation

Online Sales vs In-Person Sales

The digital journey is a hard one because of the fact that we're lacking real time communication.

We're relying upon an exchange of a communication, but there's a time delay.

So I put in a message and then I don't know when you read it, or if you even read it, or how well you read it, or did you even understand what I said. And then you send me back a message, and again there's a time delay, and I go through the same you know process.

As a result, it's so easy for us to misunderstand and miscommunicate rather than build an authentic relationship that can result in doing business together.

3 Secrets to Good Communication in Sales

The first principle is to always ask for permission, and so, even when somebody has looked at my post and I noticed it, or they commented or whatever, I will then message them.

I'm using digital messaging, right, I messaged them, but I asked for permission: "Would it be okay if we connected?"

And so I'd recommend asking for permission.

So, before you do anything and you know we need to ask for permission throughout our communication with people and once we get it, hallelujah!

You can rest assured that you are not annoying or bothering them.

The second principal is do not speak with the script.

Do not text with scripts. Let your natural, authentic self come forward, because when something sounds like it's been memorized, it comes across as salesy.

It comes across as AI, Like "okay, so you have a robot who is automating your messaging," and that doesn't work either.

The third principle is to adjust what you say to match the prospect's buying style, their personality. When you speak the values that we talked about, of the other person, they're going to relax and feel like you get me, we're alike.

Hence that's why I call it Alikeability System. We're going to feel alike and now we can do business together.

About Nancy Zare

Nancy Zare is a certified sales trainer. Nancy is the creator of Alikeability System. She reveals how buyers buy from service-based professionals so that they can turn more of their prospects into clients and get to choose who they work with. Nancy earned her master's and doctorate from Boston College and is a former professor of social work. She's the author of six books, including an Amazon international bestseller.

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