Stop Talking
‘Here we go again,’ said Anja, as she dialed the series of numbers that would connect her to the bridge line for the monthly ‘all-hands’ communication to the sales force.
‘This is always so incredibly boring,’ she said. ‘It’s always the same message, every month - blah, blah, blah, go get ‘em. ‘
‘It never makes a difference,’ she continued. It’s just words being poured over everyone. Nobody’s asking what the sales people are thinking, what they really think is needed. Managers just keep on talking and nothing changes.’
Anja heard the moderator signal the start of the call. She took a breath and started delivering her monthly message to the sales force.
This won’t take long.
You talk too much. You know it. Your people know it.
Shut up and start listening more.
OK, we’ll be a bit more helpful.
Talking too much is the greatest mistake that most sales managers make.
They give too much advice.
They tell too many stories.
They jump in too quickly.
They keep trying to fix things.
They offer too many solutions.
They say the same things over and over again.
The next time you’re tempted to start talking at your people, try something different. Admit that they’ve already learned plenty from you, and set up a conversation in which you can learn what they are thinking. It’s the only way you’ll learn something new. If you’re not learning something new, you have nothing new to offer.
You can do this best one-on-one, but - as your skill grows - you can do it with a group as well. The trick is to stop offering your opinions and start requiring that they share theirs.
Here’s a simple way to do it:
Ask a question and then wait for your team member to answer. Take notes - just enough words, symbols, notes to remember what she said.
After a minute or two, play back what she said - not word for word, but enough so she’s clear you heard her.
Stay quiet and let her continue. Ask a question only if she doesn’t continue.
You’ll have your own ideas, suggestions, thoughts - write them down but don’t offer them. Just keep listening and learning.
Do this for at least 50% of the time you have set aside for the conversation, then take the rest of the time to make your contribution to her development, to help her determine her next actions.
This simple process will open the door to a significant amount of insight into your people. You’ll learn what they think, what they want, what they believe will help them be more successful.
Learn this information, and some very interesting things start happening:
People start to answer their own questions, solve their own problems, figure out their next steps.
They gradually become more direct and honest around you, giving you more valuable insight and information to do your job.
When you do finally provide your suggestions, your guidance, and your decisions, they will be more appropriate, more helpful, and will be regarded with more respect by the people to whom you have listened.