Get a group of competent salespeople together and ask them to share their most powerful communication skill. What makes a good salesperson great?
Odds are they’ll all say the same thing, that they ask great questions. Consider what a carefully-framed question does in the interview:
- It gets the prospect talking, and when the prospect is talking, he’s buying. You are silent.
Another excellent post on communication skills from Gregory LaMothe. While he is focusing on the sales process, frankly the concept here of interim summaries is about listening and feedback, equally valid for any serious communication process.
Thanks David. As you are a man of erudition, this repost is the highest praise I could get.