Hi, I'm John Blunt, author of Fanatical Prospecting in Cells EQ, and this is a sales gravy quick tip.

Effective listening is the ability to actively understand the information that is being expressed by your stakeholder while causing them to feel that you are paying attention, interested, and that you really care.

It is the ability to control your own disruptive emotions

and become empathetic so that you avoid interrupting. It is listening with the intent to understand

rather than a desire to respond. Let's review seven keys to effective listening.

Number one. Prepare in advance of all sales conversations. Before you

walk into any conversation, know your objective, your agenda, your desired outcome, and be ready

with the questions that you will ask. Number two, be intentional. Commit to listening and be

aware of your disruptive emotions that impede effective listening,

and determined to be empathetic and genuinely interested in the other person.

Number three, remove distractions.

To the best of your ability, remove all potential distractions so that nothing interferes with or distracts you from listening.

Number four, attention control.

Be there, be present in the conversation, and do not allow your mind to wonder.

Center your mind and focus 100% of your attention on the other person.

Number five, use active listening skills to provide tangible evidence that you are

really listening. Number six, listen deeply. Turn your empathy on and listen with your eyes,

your ears, and your intuition. Pay attention to nonverbal cues and ask follow-up questions

where you sense emotion. And number seven,

pause before you speak. Be careful not to cut the other person off by blurting out your ideas or

interrupting them. Pause and count to three before speaking, leaving room for the other person to

continue talking and thus activating the self-disclosure loop.

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