The 30/70 Listening Framework

Part 1 — Track Your Own Talk Time

• Record one sales call (with permission).
• Estimate the split between your talking time and theirs.
• If you're speaking more than 50% of the time, you're explaining more than you're learning.
• Aim for 30% you, 70% them across the entire conversation—not every individual minute.

Part 2 — Ask, Then Actually Wait

• After asking a question, wait two full seconds before saying anything else—even if they pause first.
• Resist the urge to "help" by suggesting an answer.
• If they trail off, say, "Go on—what else?" instead of jumping in with your own point.

Part 3 — Listen for These Three Things

• What they value: Listen for what they naturally emphasize without being prompted.
• What worries them: Listen for hesitations, qualifiers, and "but" statements.
• What would make them say yes: Listen for conditions like, "If it could just..."

Part 4 — Use What You Heard, Not What You Planned to Say

• Build your next sentence from their last sentence—not from your script.
• If what you're about to say doesn't directly respond to what they just said, hold it.