Do you look for ways to keep your customers actively involved during your presentation, or do you just babble on hoping you might say something that will generate a sale? Regrettably, far too many salespeople display poor listening skills and are inclined to talk more than they listen. Unsuccessful salespeople have a tendency to use a "show and tell" presentation style that often fails to promote customer participation. The "show and tell" approach can quickly turn a customer off and cause them to shut down mentally. On the other hand, by developing your listening skills and finding ways to keep your customers engaged during your presentation, you will dramatically increase your sales effectiveness and close more sales!

One of the most overlooked principles in the selling process is the value of self-discovery. When you show or tell your customer about your product or service they have a tendency to doubt the information. When they are guided to discover a feature or benefit on their own, they will believe it! Auto dealers appreciate the power of self-discovery and prospect participation. They will be the first to tell you that it's the hands-on experience of the test-drive that sells the car, not the colorful brochure full of options and features.

Obviously, not every product or service lends itself to a hands-on demonstration; however, there are always ways to increase involvement. Let them do it. Any time there is a choice between whether you or your prospect should so something - let them do it. For example, if you've got numbers to crunch, hand them the calculator and let them do it. When it is time to demonstrate benefits and features of your product, don't just show them, let them do it.

Several years ago, I heard an interesting story about a successful glass salesman named Bill Johnson. Bill was the top producer in his company and consistently outsold the other salespeople by a significant margin. After setting a new company quarterly sales record, the president of Bill's company called him to congratulate him on his achievement. The company president was curious about Bill's outstanding accomplishment and asked him what he felt was the secret of his success. Bill replied he was still selling the way he had been trained to sell, but that he had recently made a minor change to his sales presentation that was making a major difference in his results! He stated that during his presentation he was now using a hammer to strike the safety glass several times to demonstrate its strength and durability. Excitedly, the president asked Bill if he would be willing to teach his hammer technique to the other salespeople at the next company-training meeting.

Several months after Bill had demonstrated his hammer technique to the rest of the sales force, the company shattered all of its previous records for safety glass sales! The president was extremely pleased with the company wide results, but noticed Bill's sales had also increased dramatically and that he continued to maintain his production lead over the rest of the sales force. Surprised that Bill's production was still significantly higher than the rest of the sales force, he asked Bill if he had discovered any new techniques. Bill replied that he had recently made a subtle change in his presentation. "I still use the hammer technique," Bill said, "except now when I get to the part in my presentation where I demonstrate the strength of the safety glass, I hand the hammer to my customer and let them hit the glass!"

By handing the hammer to his customer, Bill discovered the secret of successful selling. He took his sales career to the next level by finding a way to keep his customer actively involved during his presentation. Are you keeping your customers actively involved? If not, take a lesson from Bill and discover a way to put the hammer in your customer's hand!