Listening

A sales professional once nearly ruined a high-probability deal by assuming he knew why a client was hesitant. During a meeting with a CEO, he noticed a slight shift in the executive's tone of voice that signaled stress, even though the CEO claimed everything was "okay".

: It turned out the CEO was preoccupied with a major customer crisis. By slowing down and listening to the subtext, the salesperson built a deep bond of trust that a standard sales pitch would have destroyed. 3. The Street Musician and the Deaf Passerby Listening

A man who suffered from severe social anxiety decided to try a "radically different approach" while attending a party. Instead of worrying about what to say or how to impress others, he committed to doing nothing but what people said to him. A sales professional once nearly ruined a high-probability

: Rather than "barreling ahead" with his sales pitch to close the deal, the salesperson paused and asked follow-up questions three different times to probe the real issue. By slowing down and listening to the subtext,