Sales Coaching the Over-Talker

I've written over and over again about the salesperson who talks too much in this blog and elsewhere. Yet, the problem continues. Salespeople have a tendency, I'm afraid, to over-talk.

I was surprised and pleased when one of my sales coaching clients recently asked me this question:

"How can I stop from talking so much?"

Wow! How's that for meeting your problems head-on! I wish every salesperson everywhere was so forthcoming about the personal challenges that limit their sales performance.

My client and I discussed the issue and I shared the following four strategies for overcoming over-talking during a sales interaction:

1. ADD TWO FULL SECONDS OF SILENCE

When your prospect finishes his sentence, wait two full seconds before responding. This will seem like an eternity, but it's value is in forcing the salesperson to become mindful about the words their speaking. Most over-talkers are on automatic pilot, so a good first step is to destroy the auto-pilot mechanism.

2. RECORD A SALES INTERACTION

Many over-talkers do so because they've never heard themselves do it. Their memory doesn't accurately record the reality of the sales interaction. The best reality is a video recording of a real customer interaction. The next best solution is an audio recording. I have seen recordings literally change the lives of salespeople forever. That's how valuable the process can be. If you've never done this for yourself, I will promise you that you will hear things that you had no idea you were doing or saying.

3. ROLE PLAY

Role playing is so valuable in sales coaching and sales training. An effective method is to role play typical sales scenarios, with the coach playing the customer. The coach and the salesperson should select a physical signal (touching the ear lobe, itching the elbow, raising the hand, etc.) that the coach can use when the coach notices the salesperson over-talking. Without stopping the role-play, the salesperson will get practice adjusting their selling behaviors in real time.

4. SELF-EDIT

Write down responses to common sales questions such as "Why should I buy from your company?" or "Can you do any better on your price?" Writing the answers down forces the salesperson to be mindful. Then, have the salesperson speak the written responses aloud. If necessary, edit the written answer to a more succinct response, then repeat. Writing down responses and editing is a great way to give the salesperson permission to self-edit, because if they could self-edit in real time, they'd probably already be doing it.

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, and the financial, real estate, and insurance markets.

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