Using Communication Principles to

Build Relationships

Chapter 5
 Important Questions Answered
 What are the basic elements of the communication
process?
 Why are listening and questioning skills important?
 How can salespeople develop listening skills to collect
information about customers?
 How do people communicate without using words?
 What are the barriers to effective communication?

2
“Being able to communicate and dialogue with
my customers is the key to being an effective
salesperson.”
~Brad Englin
 Communication
 Exchange of information: the exchange of information
between people, e.g. by means of speaking, writing, or
using a common system of signs or behavior
 Message: a spoken or written message
 Act of communicating: the communicating of
information
 Rapport: a sense of mutual understanding and
sympathy
 Access: a means of access or communication, e.g. a
connecting door

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 Building Relationships Through Two-
way Communications
 Open and honest communications are a key to
building trust and developing successful relationships.
Here one needs to understand
 The communication process
 Communication breakdowns
 Communication methods

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 Two-way Communication

Salesperson

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Two-Way Flow of Information

The sender The receiver

(seller) encodes (buyer) decodes
a message. the message.

Who then becomes… Who then becomes…

The receiver The sender

(seller) then (buyer) who
decodes the encodes a reply
buyer’s message. message.
 The Communication Process
 The process begins when the sender (sales person
or customer) wants to communicate some thoughts
or ideas. Because the receiver cannot read the
sender's mind, the sender must translate these ideas
into words. Translating of thoughts into words is
called encoding. Then the receiver must decode the
message and try to understand what the sender
intended to communicate. Decoding involves
interpreting the meaning of the received message

8
 Communication Breakdowns
 When the message does not reach the receiver
correctly due to noise and/or the presence of any
other factor (s) like inability of the receiver to
decode.
 Encoding and decoding problems
 The environment in which the communications occur
Speaker Listener
BARRIER

Psychological barrier or filter

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BARRIER
Psychological barrier or filter
Barriers To Communication Which
May Kill a Sale

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Communication Methods
 Communication Methods are
 verbal
 Nonverbal
 Usually successful when it is interactively (a
function of time between sending a message and
receiving its response) done.

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 Sending Verbal Messages
 Effective use of words
 Characteristics of words
 Using effective words
 Painting word picture
 Tailoring words to the customer

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 Characteristics of words
 Words can be either abstract or concrete as well
as emotional or neutral. Concrete, fact-oriented
words and expressions usually convey more
information and are less likely to be
misinterpreted than are abstract, conceptual
words.

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 Using effective words
 Words are tools. Word artists have the power to
be soft and appealing or strong and powerful.
They can use short words and phrases to
demonstrate strength and force or to provide
charm and grace
 Words in sales presentations should have
strength and descriptive quality.
 Every salesperson should be able to draw on a
set of words to help present the features of a
product or service.

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 Using Positive Rather Than Negative
Words
Don't Say Do Say
Cost or price Investment
Down Payment Initial investment
Contract Agreement or paperwork
Buy Own
Sell Get involved
Sign Okay, approve or authorise
(cont’d)
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 Using Positive Rather Than
Negative Words (cont’d)
Don't Say Do Say
Deal Opportunity
Problem Challenge
Objection Area of concern
Customer People, companies we serve
Cheaper More economical
Appointment Visit
Prospect Future client
Commission Fee for service
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Source: Francy Blackwood, “Back to Basics,” Selling, April 1996, p.39
 Painting word picture

 Salespeople can use word pictures to help

customers understand the benefits of a product or
a feature of the product. A word picture is a story
designed to help the buyer visualize a point.
 To use a word picture effectively, the salesperson
needs to paint as accurate and reliable a picture as
possible. No attempt at puffery should be made.
Word pictures should be honest attempts to help
the buyer accurately visualize the situation.

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 Tailoring words to the customer
 Customers can have different styles of
communicating. Some people may be very visual;
others may prefer an auditory communication
mode; and still others com­municate in a feeling
mode. Salespeople need to adapt their word choices
to the customer's preferred communication style

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 Voice characteristics
 A salesperson's delivery of words affects how the
customer will understand and evaluate his or her
presentations. Poor voice and speech habits make
it difficult for customers to understand the
salesperson's message.
 Voice characteristics include
 Speech rate
 Loudness
 Inflection
 Articulation

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 Speech rate
 Customers have a tendency to question the
expertise of salespeople who talk slower or faster
than the normal rate of 140 words per minute.
Salespeople who talk faster or slower than the
normal rate should consciously try to slow down or
speed up when first meeting a customer and then
gradually return to their normal rate.
 Salespeople should also vary their rate of speech,
depending on the nature of the message and the
environment in which the communication occurs

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 Loudness

 Loudness should also be tailored to the

communication situation. To avoid monotony,
salespeople should learn to vary the loudness of
their speech. Loudness can also be used to
emphasize certain parts of the sales presentation,
indicating to the customer that these parts are
more important.
 Salespeople should use customer reactions to
determine the appropriate loudness

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 Inflection

 Inflection is the tone of speech. At the end of a

sentence, the tone should decrease, indicating the
completion of a thought. When the tone goes up at
the end of a sentence, listeners often sense
uncertainty in the speaker.

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 Articulation
 Articulation refers to the production of
recognizable sounds. Poor articulation has three
common causes
 locked jaw
 lazy lips
 lazy tongue.

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 Asking questions
 Asking questions is a critical element in effective
verbal communications
 Encourage full responses
 Space out your questions
 Ask short, simple questions
 Avoid leading questions
 Questions to collect information
 Questions to maintain the flow of information

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 Encourage full responses
 Closed-ended questions can be answered with a
word or short phrase. Such questions draw little
information from the customer. Open-ended
questions, questions for which there are no simple
answers, encourage greater communication.

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 Questions
Closed-Ended Open-Ended
Questions Questions
Are you interested in Why haven't you bought
buying laptop laptop computers for
computers for your your sales force?
sales force?
Are you satisfied with What problems are you
your present supplier for having with your
aluminum cans? present supplier of
aluminum cans?
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 Space out your questions
 When salespeople ask several questions, one
right after another, customers may feel
threatened. They may think they are being
interrogated rather than partici­pating in a
conversation. Some customers react by disclosing
less rather than more information. For this
reason, questions should be spaced out so the cus­
tomer has time to answer each question in a
relaxed atmosphere.

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 Ask short, simple questions

 Questions that have two or more parts should be

avoided. The customer may not know which part
to answer, and the salesperson may not know
which part has been answered.
 Long questions are hard to remember and to
answer

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 Avoid leading questions
 Questions should not suggest an appropriate
answer. Such questions may put words into the
customer's mouth rather than drawing out what
the customer actually thinks

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 Questions to collect information

 Questions used to collect information usually

start with the word who, what, where, how, or
why. Responses to these questions give the
salesperson a better understanding of the
prospect, the prospect's business, and the present
competi­tion. It is best to start by asking for
publicly available information; such questions are
the easiest to answer

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 Questions to maintain the flow of
information
 A good way to maintain the flow of information is
to offer verbal and nonverbal encouragement, such
as saying, Really? That's interesting, and Is that so?
and nodding your head.
 Another approach for maintaining the flow of
information is to make positive requests for
additional information.
 The third type of approach for maintaining the
flow of information is to make neutral statements
that reaffirm or repeat a customer's comment or
emotion
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 Active listening
 Effective listeners actively think while they listen.
They think about the conclu­sions toward which the
speaker is building, evaluate the evidence being
presented, and sort out important facts from irrelevant
ones. Active listening also means the listener attempts to
draw out as much information as possible. Gestures can
moti­vate a person to continue talking
Speaking-listening
differential
80-20 listening rule People can speak at a
Salespeople should rate of only 120-160
listen 80 percent of the words per minute, but
time and talk no more they can listen to more
than 20 percent of the than 800 words per
time. minute.

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 Suggestions for active listening

 Repeating information
 Restating or rephrasing information
 Clarifying information
 Summarizing the conversation
 Tolerating silences
 concentrating on the ideas being communicated.

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 Repeating information

 During a sales interaction the salesperson should

verify the information she or he is collecting from
the customer. A useful way to verify information is
to repeat, word for word, what has been said. This
technique minimizes the chance of
misunderstandings
 Salespeople need to be careful when using this
technique, however. Customers can get irritated
with salespeople who echo everything

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Restating or rephrasing information
 To verify a customer's intent, salespeople should
restate the customer's comment in their own
words. This step ensures that the salesperson and
customer under­stand each other.

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 Clarifying information
 Another way to verify a customer's meaning is to
ask questions designed to obtain additional
information. These can give a more complete
understanding of the customer's concerns.

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 Summarizing the Conversation
 An important element of active listening is to
mentally summarize points that have been made. At
critical spots in the sales presentation, the
salesperson should present his or her mentally
prepared summary. Summarizing provides both
salesperson and customer with a quick overview of
what has taken place and lets them focus on the
issues that have been discussed. Summarizing also
lets the salesperson change the direction of the
conversation.

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 Tolerating silences

 This technique could more appropriately be titled

"Bite your tongue." At times during a sales
presentation, a customer needs time to think. While
the customer is thinking, periods of silence occur.
Salespeople may be uncomfortable during these
silences and feel they need to say something. How­
ever, the customer cannot think when the
salesperson is talking. By tolerating silences,
salespeople give customers a chance to sell
themselves.

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 concentrating on the ideas being
communicated
 Frequently what customers say and how they say it
can distract salespeople from the ideas the
customers are actually trying to communicate. For
example, sales­people may react strongly when
customers use emotion-laden phrases such as bad
service or lousy product. Rather than getting angry,
the salesperson should try to find out what upset the
customer so much. Salespeople should listen to the
words from the customer's viewpoint instead of
reacting from their own view­point.

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 Reading Nonverbal Messages from
Customers
 salespeople can learn a lot from their customers'
nonverbal behaviors.
 Body language
 Space
 Appearance

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 Body language

 Customers provide a lot of information through

their body language. The ele­ments of body
language are
 Body angle
 Face
 Arms
 Hands
 Legs
Positive Power and authority Underlying tension

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Positive and Negative Signals

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 Sending Messages with Nonverbal
Communication
 Using body language
 Face
 Eye contact
 Hand movement
 Posture and body movements
 Matching the customer’s communication style

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 The role of space and physical
contact in communication
 The physical space between a customer and a
salesperson can affect the cus­tomer's reaction to a
sales presentation.
 Distance During Interactions
 Touching

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 Distance During Interactions
 The intimate zone is reserved primarily for a person's
closest relationships; the personal zone for close friends
and those who share special interests; the social zone for
business transactions and other impersonal
relationships; and the public zone for speeches, teachers
in class­rooms, and passersby
 The exact sizes of the intimate and personal zones
depend on age, gender, culture, and race

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Distance Zones for Interactions

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Office Arrangements and Territorial
Space

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 Concept of space

 Territorial space
 Intimate space – 2 feet
 Personal space – 2 to 4 feet
 Social space – 4 to 6 feet
 Public space – 12+ feet
 Space threats – too close
 Space invasion – OK to be close

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 TOUCHING
 People fall into two touching groups

 Contact
Contact people usually see non-contact people as cold
and unfriendly.
 Non-contact
non-contact people view contact people as overly
friendly and obtrusive.
 Salespeople should limit touching to a handshake.
Touching clearly enters a customer's intimate space
and may be considered rude and threatening an
invasion
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 Appearance
 Physical appearance, specifically dress style, is an
aspect of nonverbal communication that affects the
customer's evaluation of the salesperson. Two
priorities in dressing for business are

 getting customers to notice you in a positive way
 getting customers to trust you.

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 Guidelines for Appearance
 Consider the geography
 The temperature
 The local cultural norms
 Consider your customers
 Their appearance
 Their expectations of your appearance
 Consider your corporate culture
 Norms for your industry
 Consider your aspirations
 Top levels of your organization
 Dress above your position
 Consider your own personal style
 Wait until you have the halo effect
 Be reasonable

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 Communicating via technology
 Face-to-face conversation
 40 percent: words
 10 percent: voice characteristics
 50 percent: nonverbal communications

 Telephone
 Practice
 Prepare
 Don’t be rushed
 Smile as you talk
 Active listening
 Set objective

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 Communicating In A
High-Technology Environment
 Accept the need to communicate through electronic media.
 Learn the customer’s preferences.
 Avoid “techno overkill”.
 Make the communication meaningful
 Customise your message.
 Use speed to impress customers speed.
 Don’t deliver bad news via e-mail.
 Use short clear sentences when communicating
internationally.

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Comparison of Various Methods of
Salesperson Communications

7.54
 Adjusting for Cultural Differences

In international selling situations, salespeople need to

recognize that business practices differ around the world

 Use of Language
 Time and Scheduling
 Body language
Low-context cultures High-context cultures
Most of the More information is
information that flows contained in factors
between buyer and surrounding the
seller is in the spoken communication.
words themselves.

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 Differences Between
High- and Low-Context Cultures

7.56
 Use of Language
 Communication in international selling often takes
place in English because Eng­lish is likely to be the
only language salespeople and customers have in
common. To communicate effectively with
customers whose native language is not English,
salespeople need to be careful about the words and
expressions they use

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 Tips to use English in international
selling
 Use common English words, e.g. stop instead of
cease.
 Use words that do not have multiple meanings.
 Avoid American slang expressions.
 Use strict rules of grammar.
 Use action-specific verbs.
 Never use vulgar expressions, tell off-color jokes,
or make religious references.

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 Time and Scheduling

 International salespeople need to understand the

varying perceptions of time in general and the
time it takes for business activities to occur in
different countries.
 For example, in Latin American and Arab
countries people are not strict about keeping
appointments at the designated times. If you show
up for an appoint­ment on time in these cultures,
you may have to wait several hours for the meet­
ing to start.

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 Body language

 Gestures and body language can have different

meanings across the globe. For example, the
thumbs-up gesture is considered offensive in the
Middle East, rude in Australia, and a sign of OK
in France. It's rude to cross your arms in Turkey.
Crossing your feet and showing the bottoms of
your shoe soles is insulting in Japan.

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 Summary
 The communication process consists of a sender, who encodes
information and transmits messages, and a receiver, who decodes the
messages.
 Effective communication requires a two-way flow of information.
 When communicating verbally with customers, salespeople must be
careful to use words and expressions their customers will
understand.
 Listening is a valuable communication skill that enables salespeople
to adapt to various situations.
 About 50 percent of communication is nonverbal.
 Salespeople can use nonverbal communication to convey information
to customers.
 Two-way communication increases when salespeople adjust their
communication styles to the styles of their customers.

7.61
End of Chapter 5
Thank you