The communication process in sales

Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages between the salesperson and the customer. In any negotiation, the salesperson must be skillful when it comes to their presentation and behavior if they want to close the sale successfully.

The communication process in a sale can be one-directional, where the salesperson simply lays out and develops their sales pitch without taking into account customers’ desires and buying motivations.

If the goal is to understand the needs and motivations of the customers being targeted, the sales process should be organized around the customer’s point of view, since they are the other half of the communication process.

The relationship between the two is essential for effective communication to take place between customer and salesperson, and for two-way communication to occur.

The goal of two-way communication is to persuade the customer by maximizing their positive response to the offer being made, or that could be made, to them.

The types of communication used in sales are:

• Oral communication
• Non-verbal communication
• Written communication

Elements that foster communication:

• In effective communication, you should maintain an open, tolerant stance that is compatible with the different points of view of the other people involved.

• Show genuine interest in finding positions that don’t align with your own. This way there will be a greater exchange of ideas and experiences, as well as a warmer reception.

• Don’t hold prejudices, because you don’t have enough information to judge, and because you have to believe that people are capable of changing.

• Speak freely and spontaneously about your own ideas, feelings, and attitudes, even if they fall outside what is normal and established.

• It is essential both to listen and take an interest in the other person in a general way, and in the specific things they say, showing somehow how interesting you find what the speaker is telling you.

• Don’t relate everything you hear back to yourself; this gives the impression that the person is driven by their own self-centeredness and makes it harder for the other person in the conversation to be objective and neutral.

• Be willing to make any positive change, even if there is some initial resistance to it.

• Avoid taking a defensive position, no matter how strongly you identify with an idea.

• Present a pleasant physical appearance, which will depend on where you are, the surroundings, your posture, the time available, and so on.

• Be alert to the right moments, always giving the best of yourself no matter how short the encounter is.

• Find the teaching resources that can help you start the conversation or round it out.

• Aim, at least in the early moments, to talk more about what you have in common with the other person than about the negatives or the things that separate you. Try to value the other person, to see the positive side of people, their behavior, and so on.

• Talk more about life experiences than about ideas. Shared pain and joy bond people together more than ideas do.

• Assure the other person that whatever is shared in confidence will remain secret.

• Master the communication codes of the culture in which the conversation is taking place.

• Have command of communication techniques in terms of their goals, possibilities, and method.

• Show yourself as you truly are, in a clear, authentic, and respectful way.

Communication in sales:

1. Skills of the effective communicator: assertiveness, persuasion, empathy, and emotional intelligence.

• Assertiveness is a concept, a way of relating to others, that involves respecting both other people’s boundaries and your own.

It includes a broad set of interpersonal behaviors that allow a person to properly express their opinions, needs, feelings, and emotions with sincerity and clarity.

Many people, in certain circumstances, come across as insecure and fearful, while others are always on the defensive, inspiring distrust and fear and making conversation genuinely difficult.

• Persuasion is a process aimed at changing a person’s or a group’s attitude or behavior toward some idea, through the use of words that convey information, feelings, or reasoning.

• Empathy represents the ability to put ourselves in someone else’s place and understand their feelings. Our beliefs and opinions can become a significant barrier to communication.

However, we should not set aside our own feelings, but rather understand, respect the other person’s opinion, and convey understanding. Being able to perceive what the other person is communicating through a language that adapts to our beliefs.

Specific skills:

1. Active attention – observing how the other person feels and paying attention both verbally and non-verbally.
2. Cognitive activity – attention focused on how the other person is feeling and why they feel that way, in order to perceive realistically and accurately what is happening to them.
3. Emotional activity – learning to experience the emotions the other person feels; we must know what feelings they have in order to understand them.

• Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to recognize our own feelings and those of others, to motivate ourselves and control certain emotions in order to guide thought and action.

It alludes to intelligence and emotion, combining cognition and affect. Within a company, it is important that organizational and emotional learning takes place from the outset for things to run smoothly.

It can affect employees negatively; conversely, an optimal working climate will be created, resulting in increased performance, communication, and a better work atmosphere.

Advantages: increased motivation, better relationships with customers, effectiveness, responsibility, and autonomy.

2. Barriers and difficulties in face-to-face communication

A major problem many stores face is a lack of communication or the improper use of its techniques. That’s why there is so much interest in the communication process. It must be effective.

Communication difficulties:

• Environmental: those that surround us, which are impersonal. They can cause physical discomfort (a hot room, etc.), visual distractions, and noise.
• Verbal: ways of speaking. It’s obvious when a different language is spoken, but sometimes, even speaking the same language, it is incomprehensible because of social class, age difference, education level, or differing interests.
• Interpersonal: different perceptions or incorrect assumptions.

Solutions to these problems:

• Environmental: an appropriate place for the discussion, in an environment free of distractions.
• Verbal: be clear about what you want to communicate, and say it clearly. Listen to the other person.
• Interpersonal: don’t hold prejudices. Different perceptions exist. Be flexible and express yourself well.

3. Non-verbal communication: conveying information through behavior and the body

Body language allows us to freely express feelings and thoughts, and gives clues about our mood.

It arises spontaneously and is hard to control. A simple gesture, a slight facial contraction, or a subtle movement can convey a rich message, or the opposite.

• Emphasizes or highlights
• Confirms the verbal message
• Adds emotional weight to the content
• Can replace verbal communication
• Can contradict the verbal message

4. Techniques for non-verbal communication through the body

Hands

Hand gestures can be very expressive; they can clarify, stress, or illustrate what the speaker is saying verbally. We can’t overdo it, as it could signal nervousness.

We should never point; other movements such as the “ok” sign or gesturing someone to go ahead are used. Lastly, avoid giving a limp handshake when greeting someone.

Gaze

Maintaining direct eye contact with the person you are communicating with is an important vehicle of connection between sender and receiver, helping to understand and complete the verbal message.

Space between the parties

The way a person moves through space and the distance they keep from the people they interact with can have a notable influence on how the message is received.

Proxemics studies have shown how moving closer to or further from the other party, as well as gestures, tone of voice, and physical and visual contact, can trigger different sensations in people.

Many times people can feel uncomfortable in a confined space; they have a kind of bubble around them that can vary depending on the interaction taking place.

• Intimate distance – up to 45 cm: the highest level of closeness and physical contact.
• Personal distance – 45 to 120 cm: the distance kept with people we know, though in Western culture not with everyone.
• Social distance – 120 to 360 cm: for interpersonal communication, ideal for interviews or short chats.