Listening is step one. Here's step two.
In the last issue, we started at the foundation. The kind of listening where you're actually catching the little things people tell you.
I want to add another layer onto what we went over last week, and it’s based on this: While you're listening, you're also broadcasting. What you're broadcasting determines whether the person on the other end lowers their guard or keeps it up.
There are three things you need to be projecting in every conversation. I call them the 3 Es: Empathy, Eagerness, and Expertise. They're the subject of Chapter 2 of Relationship Intelligence, and they're what we're covering today.
Today, we go over:
What Empathy actually looks like in a sales conversation and why it's not what most people think.
Why Eagerness is the thing prospects feel before they can explain why they like you.
How Expertise builds the kind of trust that makes a prospect stop evaluating and start agreeing.
EMPATHY: MAKE THEM FEEL UNDERSTOOD
Empathy isn't sympathy. You're not feeling sorry for them. You're showing them that you actually get what they're dealing with, that their problem landed with you and didn't just pass through you.
When a prospect feels understood, their guard comes down. When they feel like they're just another call on your list, it goes up. It really is that simple.
EAGERNESS: SHOW YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO HELP
Eagerness is energy with intention behind it. It's the difference between a rep who shows up and a rep who shows up ready. Prospects can feel the difference immediately, especially over the phone, where all they have to go on is your voice.
You can't fake this one. If you're not genuinely interested in solving their problem, they'll sense it before you've finished your second sentence.
EXPERTISE: GIVE THEM A REASON TO TRUST YOU
Expertise isn't about rattling off credentials or being the smartest person in the room. It's about making the prospect feel like they're in capable hands and that they called the right person. When you combine expertise with empathy and eagerness, you stop being a salesperson and start being an advisor.
That's when people actually open up.
THE THING ABOUT THE 3 Es
They don't work as a checklist. You don't lead with empathy, switch to eagerness, then close with expertise. You weave all three throughout the entire conversation, from the first hello to the close. The moment you drop one, the prospect feels it.
Listening is step one. The 3 Es are what you build on top of it. To go deeper into each one individually, Chapter 2 of my book, Relationship Intelligence, breaks it all down.
Are You Ready to Listen Your Way to More Sales?
Improve your listening skills with our Active Listening Sales Guide!
We’ve created a free downloadable guide that includes:
The 80/20 Listening Challenge – A step-by-step exercise to help you listen more effectively in your next sales call.
A Salesperson’s Listening Checklist – Your go-to resource for better conversations and higher conversions.
WANT TO EXPLORE FURTHER?
Take Your Sales to the Next Level with Relationship Intelligence.
Want to master the art of selling without being pushy? Top sales professionals don’t just sell, they build relationships that last. That’s why I wrote Relationship Intelligence, Sales Through Human Connection, the ultimate training to take you to the next level of sales mastery.
Until next time, ask yourself:
How many Es are you weaving into your sales conversations?
Keep learning,
Better Relationships. Better Conversations. Better Sales.