What do your customers want?

The late country singer Toby Keith gives the best sales advice in his hit song, I Wanna Talk About Me. Remember these lyrics as you head into a conversation with a prospect or customer:

I wanna talk about me, wanna talk about I

Wanna talk about number one, oh my, me my

What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see

Salespeople must intentionally plan questions to ask so prospects and customers can talk about themselves and what they value, and we must listen. Successful salespeople work hard at these skills. They prepare questions that encourage their prospects and customers to share their stories. They have trained themselves to focus on the prospect as they speak and silence all thoughts so there are no distractions, enabling them to listen completely. They don't interrupt, a blaring sign one is not listening.