The best salespeople listen way more than they talk.They understand that active listening in sales is a transformative skill. They tune into verbal cues and create meaningful connections that lead to the intended outcome.
My personal experience in sales taught me how to tap into the power of understanding to build trust. Too often, salespeople are waiting for their turn to talk or thinking about what to say next, instead of truly listening to the other side.
To eliminate this habit, I’ve taught the sales reps who have reported to me over the years a very specific skill: active listening.
Keep reading to discover how you can develop this skill, too.
Table of Contents
- What is active listening?
- Active Listening Framework
- Why is active listening important in sales?
- Techniques to Improve Your Active Listening
- 4 Examples of Active Listening
What is active listening?
Active listening is a form of communication that aims to achieve mutual understanding between two or more parties. It is used commonly in professions like teaching, coaching, and sales. With active listening, both parties benefit from the communication by having their needs, wants, and desires heard.
Active listening is important because it has the goal of achieving common ground between two or more parties. In sales, active listening is imperative as it’s nearly impossible to sell anything if you aren’t in agreement on the problem and solution by the end of the conversation.
But it is not as simple as turning my ears on and repeating everything I heard to the other person like a mockingbird. There’s a framework for doing active listening well, and I’ll walk you through it in the section below. First, let’s understand why active listening is essential in sales.
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Why is active listening important in sales?
When I was in sales, I made it a habit to reflect on what happened whenever I had a conversation with a prospect. (A sales training plan can be a brilliant document to jot down all your reflections.)
I have personally discovered that there was a common pattern in the sales that I managed to close. It always happened when I initiated a conversation on a topic completely unrelated to what I was selling.
This gave me a chance to practice active listening to understand their perspectives, tailor my approach, and earn their trust. Here are three reasons why I feel active listening is important in sales.
1. Makes prospects feel valued and in control.
Whenever I approached a prospect, I began with an unrelated question. It could be something as simple as asking, “How’s your day going?” My intention was never just small talk — it was an intentional way to gauge their mood and set the tone for the conversation.
From my experience with face-to-face selling, I noticed early on that people are more likely to engage when they feel valued and in control.
So, for instance, if someone gave a one-word answer or seemed rushed, I’d respect their time and clearly state that I needed X minutes of their time. Surprisingly, this way 8 out of 10 prospects agreed to give me their time, likely because they felt they had the power to decide.
Naturally, this approach doesn’t apply to remote meetings where the time slot is predetermined. But, the idea remains the same. Listen to the prospect’s answer and try to make them feel valued. Making people feel in control makes it easy to persuade them.
2. Turns pitches into personalized conversations.
At one point during my sales career, I was doing fundraising (it is the most difficult thing in the world to get people to pay for something if they don’t feel they’re receiving real value or a tangible return for their money). This experience taught me how crucial it is to understand a prospect’s beliefs and emotions, especially when selling something intangible.
For example, during a campaign to raise money for orphans, I asked open-ended questions like, “How important do you think it is to help children?” Their responses not only revealed their values but also gave me opportunities to frame my next statement based on their views.
Even if their opinions differed from mine, I avoided arguments. A simple nod or acknowledgment encouraged them to elaborate, which gave me more insight to tailor my message. The more they talked, the more I learned about their past experiences, and I used those details to connect emotionally. This active listening approach often turned skepticism into genuine interest.
3. Helps build trust through affirmation.
Closing the deal, especially for recurring subscriptions, often comes down to trust. Active listening helped me build that trust effortlessly. I made a habit of remembering little details prospects shared and affirming their efforts with specific compliments, like “You’re doing a great job in [here I added a past action from the experience the prospect shared earlier].” These small acknowledgments left a lasting impression.
My experience with sales has taught me that people don’t just buy a product — they buy into the person selling it. I realized that showing empathy, respecting their opinions, and genuinely engaging with their stories made all the difference.
However, it’s not always the case that the prospect starts sharing details openly — especially if it’s a discovery call. In such instances, I maintain a joyful attitude and try to make them comfortable enough that they start sharing.
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Active Listening Framework
- Acknowledge the prospect's needs.
- Confirm your understanding of the prospect's needs.
- Clarify your understanding of their needs.
As I tried to convince marketers that they needed to adopt a new way of marketing, I found it valuable to dig deeper into a prospect’s needs with relevant follow-up questions, using this three-step framework as a guide.
1. Acknowledge the prospect’s needs.
Let’s be honest: Sometimes during a conversation, it’s common practice to listen for a specific word or topic that segues perfectly into our next thought.
While this isn’t rude, offensive, or otherwise problematic, it does limit our ability to have thought-provoking conversations.
When salespeople do this, in particular, prospects can sense it, and they come to the conclusion that the rep simply wants to sell them something regardless of whether they need it or not. It’s a downward spiral that usually leads nowhere.
But the best salespeople listen differently. They forget about the script (and maybe even their own agenda) and really listen to the words and feelings that a prospect is conveying in their language, tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language.
By observing auditory, visual, and physical clues as well as the prospect’s words, a salesperson can truly begin to understand the plight of their prospect and put themselves in the buyer’s shoes.
And this type of listening — active listening — can make a huge difference by encouraging prospects to open up more, fostering trust and commitment.
So when you’re on the phone or in a meeting with a prospect, ignore the distractions around you, throw out the script, stop worrying about what you’re going to say next, and really pay attention.
2. Confirm your understanding of the prospect’s needs.
This critical step is often overlooked. After you’ve paraphrased what your prospect has said, simply ask, “Did I communicate that effectively?” or “Do you believe I understand what you have shared with me?” If the prospect says “no,” you now have an opportunity to clarify your understanding by asking, “Could you clarify for me what I might have missed or got wrong?”
Notice how those questions create an opening for them to give you honest feedback. In contrast, I don’t recommend saying, “Does that make sense?” or “Could you explain that better?” or any other question that puts the blame on the prospect for not communicating effectively.
Michelle Adams, vice president of Gordon Training, says, “When you nail it, you know it, and the other person tells you that you did by saying things like: ‘Yes! That's it!’ or ‘Exactly, you’ve nailed it.’ Or they will begin nodding their head emphatically. If you miss on your active listening, they will tell you that too with: ‘Well, no, it’s not that. It’s more like this … ’ or they will look at you like you’re nuts.”
Once you get good at this part of the process, you’ll be able to create a confirmation bias in your prospect’s mind. By repeating what this person has said and then confirming that you’re on the same page, the confirmation bias starts to form, and trust begins to develop.
3. Clarify your understanding of their needs.
After you confirm that you understand the prospect, your next step is to ask follow-up questions.
Resist the temptation to ask closed-ended questions that might make the prospect think that you’re only interested in making the sale. Instead, I recommend asking an open-ended question that encourages your prospect to share more about their goals, challenges, and current plans.
As Saul McLeod points out, open-ended questions allow the person to express what they think in their own words. If you ask the right question, prospects might come to the right conclusions themselves, solving their own problem, or at least starting to believe that a solution exists to help solve their problems. They might even conclude that your solution is the right one.
In addition, by getting your prospect to continue thinking critically about their situation (out loud), you stand a better chance of uncovering the compelling reasons your prospect will (or won’t) buy from you.
This active listening framework will give you the basic tools to start listening actively on your next call, but the techniques below will help you cross the finish line and close the deal.
Techniques to Improve Your Active Listening
1. Do your homework.
In today’s world, improving your active listening starts before the conversation even begins. One effective technique is to research your prospect in advance. Explore their LinkedIn profile to see the types of posts they share or engage with, as this can provide valuable insights into their interests, values, and communication style.
Whenever I do my homework beforehand, I feel better equipped to connect with someone on a deeper level. My recommendation is to combine social listening with active listening during your calls. This makes it easy to tailor your approach to resonate with them.
2. Focus on body language.
Body language says what the voice cannot. This goes both ways — how you use body language can influence the conversation as well as clue you into how the other person is feeling. Be sure to pay attention to their eyes, facial expressions, and body movements.
In remote selling, I always recommend politely requesting prospects to turn on their cameras, as it adds a layer of human connection and allows you to better gauge their reactions. The challenge becomes more pronounced when multiple prospects are involved.
In such situations, I’ve found that framing the conversation as a collaborative discussion, rather than a one-sided pitch, makes all the difference.
3. Take note of keywords.
During calls that last more than 30 minutes, it’s natural to forget some of the points the prospect mentioned earlier in the conversation. I’ve found it incredibly helpful to jot down key phrases or words as the discussion progresses.
Simply glancing at the keywords helps me revisit important topics later. This way, I can also paraphrase the prospect’s details to confirm understanding.
Many prospects have expressed appreciation when I recall details they shared earlier in the conversation. Getting remarks on attentiveness is a side benefit of active listening.
Using this technique, I make sure that both parties stay aligned and nothing important is overlooked.
4. Give a tailored demo.
During my time at a previous company, we often encountered prospects who showed genuine interest in the software solution we offered. To make the most of these opportunities, we relied on a sales representative with exceptional product knowledge to lead our demos.
Despite his expertise, our close rate after these demos wasn’t as strong as expected. After some reflection, we realized the problem: our hour-long demos were overloaded with features, many of which were irrelevant to the specific needs of the prospect’s company. We concluded that the key to more effective demos lay in tailoring them to the prospect’s unique challenges and priorities.
By actively listening during earlier calls and meetings, I began to take detailed notes about what mattered most to each prospect. Instead of showcasing every feature, I focused on the ones that directly addressed their needs and aligned with their goals. This shift made our demos more engaging.
I feel that the best way to build strong connections with prospects is by demonstrating in a demo that their requirements are truly understood.
5. Find connections between concepts.
Rather than listening to respond, active listening focuses on identifying the needs of the other party and coming up with a path forward, together.
I try to find connections between concepts not only to show the other person that I am listening to them but also to position myself as an expert in the field.
A technique that always works is to show that you have prior experience of successfully handling problems like theirs.
6. Look for opportunities rather than discrepancies.
Passing judgment is the fastest way to a dead end in a conversation. Even when I’m sure the prospect is making a poor choice, I try to redirect the conversation in a positive way toward opportunities.
For example, I ask questions about what led them to their decisions and what resources they used to validate them. This opens up an avenue to present an opportunity for them to look at the product or service I am selling through that same lens.
7. Sharpen your memory by playing games.
I’ve noticed that intellectual and perceptive individuals often excel at active listening because they draw connections between what they hear and their existing knowledge. Their ability to remember and relate information makes conversations more meaningful and engaging.
For me, sharpening my memory has been an intentional process, and one of the methods I use to improve it is by playing games such as Sudoku and memory match. This might seem unrelated to sales or professional conversations, but they sharpen the skills that are essential for active listening — retention, focus, and adaptability.
By making memory improvement a regular habit, I’ve found it much easier to connect with people on a deeper level. Remember a prospect’s concerns from a previous meeting or reference a shared anecdote — these small details can make all the difference.
I believe that it’s not just about listening better. It’s about showing that you’re genuinely invested in the conversation. And for that, a sharp memory is your secret weapon.
8. Be empathetic.
People who are naturally empathetic tend to be better listeners because they’re genuinely curious about the other person’s thoughts and feelings. I’ve found that when I approach conversations with empathy, I’m less focused on formulating my own response and more intent on understanding the other person.
This is a brilliant mindset.
It eliminates the urge to interrupt or rush to get my point across. It allows the speaker to express themselves fully, which often leads to richer, more meaningful discussions. It also helps me pick up on nuances in tone, body language, and word choice — cues that reveal what someone may not be explicitly saying.
You don’t have to do much. Simply pause to acknowledge the other person’s emotions and validate their concerns. Make them feel heard and valued and see the trust being automatically built.
Next, I will give some examples of active listening and demonstrate the framework and techniques in action.
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4 Examples of Active Listening
Here are a few scenarios in which active listening is particularly useful and how to apply it in these circumstances.
1. Addressing Resistance Early on a Sales Call
The best way to avoid an objection is to anticipate and address it proactively. Effective application of active listening can help you do just that.
Nonetheless, it’s rare that you can anticipate and address every objection before closing time. Not to worry — active listening shines here too.
I advise salespeople to use active listening early in the sales process to communicate to prospects that they’re there to really listen and help them — not just sell them something.
Here’s what a very early conversation might sound like.
Prospect: I don’t really need help with X.
Salesperson: So, you’re feeling okay with X and aren’t looking for any help with it. Can you say more about that?
Prospect: Well ... I don’t have a lot of time.
Salesperson: Seems like I caught you in the middle of something, and your time is short.
Prospect: Yeah, but I guess I have a few minutes.
Salesperson: Okay. I often hear one of a few things in situations like yours: A, B, and sometimes C. If any of those are relevant, I have some ideas I could share with you that you might find valuable. Maybe we could talk for a few minutes now and schedule another meeting when you have more time?
Too often, salespeople rush to spit out another question or pitch their value. By repeating back what a prospect expressed (both words and feelings) and asking for clarification, you show that you’re actively listening to them. This clears the way to begin asking questions or positioning value.
2. Identifying Solutions to Challenges
Perhaps the best time to use active listening is when a prospect reveals a challenge they’re having.
Here’s an example:
Prospect: I’m very frustrated that we didn’t achieve our goal of A this year. I thought about it all last month. This really set us back. Worse, I’m just stuck on what to do next year.
Salesperson: Hmmm. I see. I can see how that would be frustrating.
Prospect: Yeah.
Salesperson: So, it sounds like it’s really important to you that you achieve goal A this year. It really set you back when you didn’t achieve it this year, and you’re at a loss on what to do differently next year.
Did I get that right?
Prospect: Yes. Exactly right.
Salesperson: Well, what are you considering doing next year?
Prospect: Well, we’ve considered implementing plan B. But, I’m just not sure it’ll work, given we don’t know how to execute plan B yet. We just don’t have the right skills within our team.
Salesperson: Have you considered getting some advice from someone who has implemented plan B at other companies like yours?
Prospect: That seems like it’d be a good idea.
3. Recapping an Exploratory Call
While it’s never too early to restate the goals and challenges that a prospect has shared with you, empathize, confirm your understanding, and probe further, I find that the end of an exploratory conversation is a great time to showcase that you’ve heard them throughout the call.
Using HubSpot’s qualification framework, I often summarize what I’ve learned from the conversation like so:
Salesperson: We’re coming up on time. We can schedule more time if it makes sense. But, at this point, I suggest we review what we’ve discussed today.
Prospect: That’d be great.
Salesperson: As I understand it, your current goal is A. In order to achieve your goal, you implemented plan B — a plan that didn’t work this year despite your best efforts. You anticipate that challenge C may, once again, get in the way of implementing plan B and achieving goal A within timeline D and budget E.
Prospect: That’s exactly right. Impressive recap, actually.
Salesperson: We also discussed how plan F — a component of our solution — might be able to help you overcome challenge C.
Prospect: Well ... I’m not sure I completely understand plan F.
Salesperson: Okay. We went through some of the aspects of plan F, but I agree that we haven’t fully covered it. In our next call, would you like to go into more depth on plan F, really sketch it out, and make sure that we’re in full agreement that it’ll help you achieve goal A?
Prospect: That sounds great. Thank you for your help so far.
Salesperson: You’re welcome. When would you like to schedule our next call?
4. Closing Business
Dave Kurlan invented my favorite closing technique: “The Inoffensive Close.” If you’ve done everything correctly during your sales process, closing should be something that just happens. If you need a little nudge, the Inoffensive Close is the simplest way to ask for the business.
As Dave describes in his book Baseline Selling, there are three questions involved in the Inoffensive Close:
- Do you believe I understand your issues, your problems, and your concerns?
- Do you believe I/we have the expertise to solve your problem effectively?
- Would you like my/our help?
As you can see, listening during the sales process and confirming that the rep understands are necessary steps if you want to use this closing approach.
But even when you’ve run a great sales process, prospects don’t always answer with an emphatic “yes” after each of these questions. That’s when active listening can be very handy, once again.
Prospect: I’m not quite positive that you have the right expertise. I’m concerned that you’re not the best provider for a company like ours.
Salesperson: Okay. Let me make sure I understand. You’re concerned we wouldn’t be the best provider. Is there a competitor of ours that you think might have more experience in your industry?
Prospect: Well, not so much in the industry, but they’ve had more experience with cultures like ours. At least, that’s my opinion.
Salesperson: So it’s more about the culture of your organization as opposed to your industry?
Prospect: Yes. Exactly.
Salesperson: But it sounds like the rest of the team might disagree with you a bit?
Prospect: A bit would be an understatement. Some of my colleagues speak very highly of the work you’ve already done for us.
Salesperson: I see. So, it sounds like my company has some mega fans amongst your team. And we certainly have done a lot to help them over the years. But you think that our competitor is better suited to help you, given the culture of your organization. Would it help if I could demonstrate to you what we’ve done for other companies with similar cultures to yours?
Prospect: Yes. I think that would make the decision a lot easier.
Salesperson: If I can do that effectively, would you hire us to help you instead of the other firm?
Prospect: Yes.
Improving Your Active Listening Skills
Active listening in sales isn’t just about hearing what the prospect says — it’s about making them feel heard. While it may seem like a small skill, active listening consistently transforms cold prospects into loyal customers.
When you can easily recall details, it shows you’re not just hearing them but truly valuing what they say. I’ve found this level of attentiveness naturally builds trust and strengthens relationships.
Before the conversation gets started, clearly state what you and the other person will discuss. This should level-set expectations for both of you so that neither party walks away feeling like their time was poorly spent.
When interacting with prospects, keep a pulse on the energy you’re displaying as well. My recommendation is to maintain an open, relaxed, and interested demeanor that can go a long way toward reaching common ground.
Remember, it is not about selling what you want but what the customer wants.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in April 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
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