Take Notes Without Losing Eye Contact
Practical ways to take notes without losing eye contact, so you remember details and still feel fully present.
Notes and eye contact can live together. Write less, listen more.
12 tips that really help
These ideas come from SPIN Selling (Neil Rackham), Gap Selling (Keenan), The Sandler Rules (David Mattson), and everyday practice. The first six help the most. Pick one and try it today.
Ask permission first
It shows respect and explains why you are looking down.
Say “May I take notes?”
Write keywords, not sentences
A few words are enough to jog your memory.
Practise with one call.
Look up after each point
Alternate between writing and looking at them.
Count to three, then look up.
Use a notebook
Paper is quieter and less distracting than a screen.
Try it for a week.
Keep a simple layout
Left column for facts, right column for actions.
Draw a line down a page.
Capture exact phrases
Their own words are powerful in proposals.
Put quotation marks around them.
Mark action items
Clear next steps prevent drift.
Circle each one.
Use shorthand
Simple symbols speed you up.
Create five of your own.
Review within the hour
Fresh memory fills the gaps.
Set a short reminder.
Write a clean summary
Send it within a day.
Use three bullet points.
Store notes where you can find them
Good notes are only useful if you can retrieve them.
File by customer name.
Teach colleagues your method
Shared habits improve the whole team.
Show one person your layout.
Easy things to say
When you are stuck, pick one of these. They work in many sales conversations.
“Do you mind if I take a few notes so I get this right?”
“I am writing down your main points.”
“One moment while I note that.”
“Let me read that back to make sure it is accurate.”
“Thank you, that is very helpful.”
“I will send you a short summary.”
Your first week
One small action a day. Each day is only a little bigger than the last.
Ask permission to take notes
Write keywords only
Look up after each point
Note exact phrases
Mark action items
Review notes within an hour
Send a summary
Further reading
- SPIN Selling (Neil Rackham)
- Gap Selling (Keenan)
- The Sandler Rules (David Mattson)
The tips above are written in our own words and are general guidance. The books are suggestions for further reading.
More lessons in “Ask Better Questions, Sell More”
Keep going. Small steps every day make a big change.
← Previous: Set the Agenda TogetherNext: Summarise What You Heard →
- Stop Pitching, Start Asking
- The 70/30 Rule: Listen More
- Curiosity Is a Sales Skill
- Questions Show You Care
- Make Customers Talk About Their World
- Pitch Only After You Understand
- Questions Are Not Interrogations
- Situation Questions Without Boring People
- Problem Questions That Find the Pain
- Implication Questions That Show the Cost
- Need-Payoff Questions That Spark Desire
- Build a SPIN Question Bank
- Use SPIN on a Small Sale
- Common SPIN Mistakes
- Ask "Why Is That Important?"
- The Power of "Tell Me More"
- Find the Hidden Problem Behind the Problem
- Ask About the Cost of Doing Nothing
- Ask About Feelings, Not Just Facts
- Turn One Answer Into Three Questions
- The Pause That Gets the Truth
- Who Decides and Who Influences?
- How Do They Buy Today?
- What Does Success Look Like to Them?
- Find Their Budget Without Awkwardness
- Discover Their Deadline
- Ask About Past Experiences With Sellers
- Find Out What They Tried Before
- Research Before You Ask
- Write Your Top Five Questions
- Set the Agenda Together
- Take Notes Without Losing Eye Contact
- Summarise What You Heard
- End With a Clear Next Step
- Great Questions for Phone Calls
- Questions to Use in Email
- Questions for a Group Meeting
- Questions for Small Customers
- Questions for Big Customers
- Questions That Win Repeat Business
