Selling is not talking. Its listening. You may have heard the saying the first person who talks, loses. And, its true most of the time. There are dozens of reasons to stop talking so you can start selling. Here are a few worth listening to:

Let Them Take Center Stage

Most people would rather talk than listen. When working with a prospective buyer its a good idea to let their ego take center stage by allowing them do most of the talking. With a few well thought out questions you can learn a lot about how your product or service fits into their needs and wants. Remember, whats at stake is not your ego but a sale. So, let them exercise their ego for the sake of your sale. Let them talk so you can learn enough to start selling. Its a win win opportunity, their ego gets stroked and your sale gets made.

Let Them Load the Gun

Everything you can learn by listening is a potential bullet when it comes to pulling the trigger on closing a sale. As they talk about their concerns and interests you should be listening for the bullet points to shoot back at them during the closing stages of the sales conversation. Dont make the mistake of talking over the key points people will give you if youll listen to them. You want to take careful aim with the bullets theyve loaded. If you dont stop talking, you might just shoot yourself in the foot.

Let Them Circle the Wagons

Given a chance, most people will tell you their objections and voice their concerns. Its only natural to become defensive when youre in the middle of a decision making process. Again, some pre-planned questions, a good understanding of the key bullet points and a listening ear will help you break through the barriers a person will present. As tightly circled as the wagons of their defense might be theres always a way into the center of their concerns and an opportunity to close the sale. If youre too busy trying to talk your way in, youll surely miss any openings that exist to make the sale.

The hardest thing to do is to stop talking, but its the easiest way to start selling.