If someone in a conversation dropped this on you, how would you react?
"So, anyway, I'm only sharing this with a couple of people, but my aunt in Omaha is good friends with Warren Buffet and this is where he said she needs to put all of her money ... "
You'd snap to attention. You'd elevate your listening to a higher level. You'd zone out everything else around you. You'd lean in closer.
Because you now want, and must hear what is about to be said.
What caused this reaction was what I call a "lean in" statement.
You hear these with prospects and customers too. Do you pick up on them and react the same way?
For example, on a call with a prospect, my ears really perked up when he said, “Here’s our real problem ... ”
I leaned forward in my seat, turned up the volume on my headset and took even better notes. I questioned more deeply with each response he gave. Eventually we were able to determine that the problem was costing him about $50,000 every month.
Prospects will often let salespeople know when they are about to reveal their problems, pains, and desires. I wish it was always as easy as hearing the word "problem," but that's not usually the case.
With this in mind, listen for the "lean in" words and phrases that describe pain, discomfort, or dissatisfaction. Here are 21 common ones:
- “We need to do something about ... ”
- “We’ve noticed a downward trend in the ... ”
- “It’s concerning us that ... ”
- “A trouble area is ... ”
- “An area of difficulty is... ”
- “A dilemma ... ”
- “We worry about ... ”
- “It’s a hassle when ... ”
- “What’s frustrating is ... ”
- “We've been unsuccessful at ... ”
- “We're not satisfied with ... ”
- “What’s disappointing is ... ”
- “What takes time is ... ”
- “It costs us to ... ”
- “We try to avoid ... ”
On a similar note, listen for prospects visualizing the result of a solution: