Why experts say that listening skill ranks higher in importance than speaking skill for the salesperson?

Hear What People are Really Saying Learn how to hear the whole message by using active listening techniques. Listening is one of the most important skills you can have. How well you listen has a major impact on your job effectiveness, and on the quality of your relationships with others. For instance: We listen to obtain information. We listen to understand. We listen for enjoyment. We listen to learn. Given all this listening we do, you would think we'd be good at it! In fact most of us are not, and research suggests that we remember between 25 percent and 50 percent of what we hear. That means that when you talk to your boss, colleagues, customers or spouse for 10 minutes, they pay attention to less than half of the conversation. This is dismal! Turn it around and it reveals that when you are receiving directions or being presented with information, you aren't hearing the whole message either. You hope the important parts are captured in your 25-50 percent, but what if they're not? Clearly, listening is a skill that we can all benefit from improving. By becoming a better listener, you will improve your productivity, as well as your ability to influence, persuade and negotiate. What's more, you'll avoid conflict and misunderstandings. All of these are necessary for workplace success!

80/20 principal holds good at all times

Listening 80% and talking 20% of the times while with client or else the sales pitch and entire sales process is like Coca Cola without fizz

 

The 20% should be divided into 3 main parts- 1) Introducing himself and the company and sharing info on its business, 2) Probing- open ended and close ended approach, 3) Solutions provider

 

What solution will a sales person provide the customer if he does not even know the customers current situation and needs. And this need will only come about if the customer is allowed  to talk most of the times

To make it simple, it is always about the needs of the customer and there is no better way to find out those needs but by actively listening to them. We should note that services or products are introduced to the market because there is a demand and these are also developed based on the changing needs of customers.

Simple.

By listening you will get a lot of information from your customer. One of the most important information is regarding his needs and your competition.

Then by filtering the information you can customize an offer for him adapted to his needs.

You can also avoid future conflicts between you and your customer created my misunderstandings by active listening of his "what I like and what I don't like".

How can we handle costumer's objection if we don't really listen his objection

Who speak more listen less, that's mean he will not be know the real picture.

I agree with Mr Mohammed Negm

The more you listen , the more you understand your customer needs! The more you understand your customer needs the more you sell! Besides, buyers like the salesman who listen and understand rather than who talks much and offer many things..

Most people think “selling” is the same as “talking”. But the most effective salespeople know that listening is the most important part of their job. – Roy Bartell

Listening and speaking are two of the most critical skills for a great salesperson. Consider a time when you were excited or “sold” on a product, service, or idea.

How well did the person listen to your needs?What did the person say?How did it make you feel?

Now consider the opposite situation. We’ve all been victims of the “hard sell” before. One of the toughest aspects of those experiences is the salesperson doesn’t particularly listen to your needs, say what you need to hear, or make you feel comfortable.

Empowering Your Sales Team

Want to empower your sales team? Make taking care of customers a key performance indicator. Zappos, an online retailer, has been widely recognized for their customer service. The company’s senior marketing manager, Michelle Thomas, has this to say about their service model:

The one constant is that we are a service company that happens to sell __________ (fill in the blank). Our biggest efforts revolve around building likeability around our brand so that consumers turn to a brand that they trust, find reliable, and have an emotional connection with. (Source)

That’s a powerful way to help your team shift their thinking (and the words they use). We are a service company that happens to sell a product/service. With that concept in mind, employees will speak, act, and react differently in customer interactions than those who only want to have a transactional selling relationship.

It’s About the Relationship

Let’s revisit one of the points above. Selling, for those who do it well, is largely about how you make the other person feel. People do business with people they like, plain and simple.

If you’re more likeable and personable, you are more likely to make the sale than if you are not. We’d like to think that something as simple as likeability is not a major impact on the selling process, but think back to the earlier example.

When you had a great sales experience, did the other person make you feel comfortable, important, and valued? How would the interaction have changed if you had felt uncomfortable, unimportant, or unappreciated?

Want a successful sales team? Revisit these two core areas often. Beating the competition is often about serving the customer better and being more likeable, and your team can start today.

Thank you for the invitation. I agree with the answers dear professors above.

i believe that this is the best advise you can give to any person offer services, this is advise never gets old or outdated, it applied before it will apply now and will apply for life.

listening is the key to achieving the customer satisfaction you are looking for in any field of any business especially the hospitality and service providers.

once you get a clear idea of the required you will achieve in a professional time mattered way.