Big Picture v Detail: The cost of not knowing your customers’ preferences

Have you ever asked a client a question that can be answered in a sentence or two and they’re still talking 10 minutes later?

Or maybe asked for more detail on a sales issue and been given a one line answer?

Are you the person that is only interested in the big picture (big chunks) and give very brief responses regardless of the question... or do you give a very detailed response (small chunks) when a brief outline is all that’s needed?

Have you ever noticed that some people in your team or company complain that they weren’t given enough information about what’s going on - and yet others felt that they got too much information to digest, and they were at the same meeting!

Some people only want a brief outline of the situation; others want to know every detail. Which one are you? Which one are your top customers – and prospects?

This can be a major source of frustration when the two extremes meet. The person with the ‘big chunk’ preference goes into shutdown when given too much information and the one with the ‘small chunk’ preference is dissatisfied with the level of detail they receive!

So what do you do?

NOTICE!!

It’s easy to ascertain which preference is at play when you talk to ANYONE.

Then it’s down to you!

When you are communicating with your clients and prospects you absolutely must match their level of detail in order to stay in rapport. Too many details will confuse and irritate a big chunk person and too much vagueness will upset the small chunk person. Give them a level of detail they need and check for understanding.

And - you need to communicate to people around you the level of detail YOU want so that they can deliver. Don’t expect people to know what you need!

If you can identify and respond to whether someone likes to communicate in ‘small chunk’ or ‘big chunk’ language you’ll generate far better customer relationships, sales management within your team and general sales success when it comes to increasing sales!

And you might just get on much better with your family this Christmas! 

Until next time...

Leigh Ashton

PS: Download my complimentary report "The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes" here

results@sales-consultancy.com

www.sales-consultancy.com

020 7903 5426

Selling Skills: Communication is Key

Having excellent communication skills is vital if you are going to achieve sales success

When you communicate with others you are creating an experience for the other person. Everything you say has an impact... even the smallest things. What’s interesting is that every word you use will have unique interpretation for the person you are communicating with.

When working with groups I often ask people the first thought that pops into their head when I say the word ‘success.’ Interestingly, no two people have ever come back with exactly the same response. Some say ‘promotion’, some say ‘sitting on a beach’, some say ‘loving family’, some say ‘money’. And even if people say they thought of money... when questioned, one may have seen a big house, the other the actual word came to mind or ,maybe a £ or $ image.

So imagine a string of words in a sentence and a string of sentences in a conversation and you begin to realise how easy it is to create confusion or misunderstanding.

We are all unique and different in our personalities and traits, so the way in which we communicate with others or are communicated to by others will make more of an effect then we may realise.

So whatever your objective is when you communicate with prospective clients (and colleagues too!) it will impact on your expectation and if that’s low or non- existent you may find yourself creating the very lack of great results that you crave.

So expect positive outcomes through your communication and you’re more likely to get them!

Until next time...

Leigh Ashton

PS: Download my complimentary report "The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes" here

results@sales-consultancy.com

www.sales-consultancy.com 

020 7903 5426