Listening is Where Effective Sales Negotiators Earn Their Stripes

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At the strategic level, sales negotiation is like a chess game, but at the tactical level, it’s like playing poker. The parties hide their emotions behind poker faces in an attempt to obscure the strength of their real hand – keeping their cards close to the vest.

The most effective way to get a peek at those cards is to keep your ears open and your mouth shut.

Listening builds deep emotional connections with other people. The more you listen, the more connected your stakeholder will feel to you. As this emotional connection deepens, emotional walls crumble. As the walls come down, they talk more. The more they talk, the more they reveal. This gets you below the surface and lets you access their cards.

Listening is where effective sales negotiators earn their stripes.