In sales, you know the importance of paying close attention to your clients or prospects. During a meeting, you’re not only listening to what they are saying but also of picking up on their nonverbal cues as well. You’re paying attention to their facial expressions and body language, as well as how they’re listening to what you’re saying and their tone of voice when they respond. However, there is another key clue you might be missing. Are you taking note of when they take note?

In your next meeting, pay attention to when and what your prospect or client writes down. Why? If something is important to them, it’s important to you; it’s a clue that something you’re saying is resonating with them, and it can guide your next steps. For instance, you might have mentioned a feature or benefit they’re interested in or suggested an idea or service they’d like to take advantage of and see the value in. It’s obvious at this point that you’ve said something of value as it was important enough for them to take note, so use this to your advantage. The moment you see them take a note, you should take note of what they are writing a note about. You can then either ask a follow-up question or trial close right then and there, or you can refer to that point later in the conversation. You’ll be able to solidify their interests, and it will also help your presentation of ideas be more impactful.

For example, let’s say you mention in a prospect meeting how one of your clients in a similar industry has benefited from a particular service you offer. Once you do, you see your prospect start to write a few things down. This is your cue to find out more about what they’ve found important and to set a next step. You might try saying something like, “I was just wondering…how has this impacted your company?” or “What are you doing internally to address this?” Once you have identified this is a “hot button,” you can follow up by saying something like, “I have some ideas of how we might be able to help you X, Y and Z. I would love to schedule a follow-up meeting to discuss this in further detail. Does that sound okay to you?” or “I know we don’t necessarily have time right now, but I would love to set up another meeting to talk to you about how adding X service would really help your company Y.”

As we continue to strive to be the best version of ourselves as possible and ultimately experience continued success, we must always make sure to dot our i’s and cross our t’s. By taking note of when they are taking note, you’re paying attention to all of the details available, and you can use this information to help guide you to next steps and ultimately to the close!

To learn more about how BDU has helped guide clients to next-level success, click here.