I was born with the gift of gab.
I’ll even let you in on an embarrassing little secret…
Do you remember back in high school when your classmates voted on who’s the cutest, smartest, or best dressed? I wasn’t voted something really cool or flattering like most likely to succeed or best hair.
Nope. I was voted…
Most talkative.
Sometimes, that’s great for my career and serves me really well in sales, leadership, or coaching roles.
But there are other times…
Not too long ago, I was in a client meeting. I was excited about all the potential opportunity for this client and wanted so much for them to see it and catch the vision too. I was so excited that I just kept talking…
and talking…
and talking.
My intentions were great, but I got so caught up in what I was saying and what I wanted my customers to hear that I didn’t take the time to stop and really listen.
I said so much, did they really even hear anything I said? What were their concerns? What were their needs?
I walked away feeling like the meeting would have gone better if I had said less and listened more.
I wasn’t following my own Sales 101 advice… Listen to the customer.
Over the years, I’ve had to train myself to be a better listener. In fact, I’m still in training.
Whether it’s a patient or referring doctor, here are my top 3 tips and tricks for listening to customers:
Ask a question.
Asking a question and waiting for an answer forces you to slow down to listen and helps you to identify the customer’s needs.
Practice active listening.
Active listening is (1) listening without thinking of what you’re going to say next and (2) repeating back what you just heard. Active listening requires you to truly listen, and repeating back what you heard ensures you understood correctly.
Perhaps the simplest (not easiest) and most obvious…
In fact, it’s so obvious, it’s often overlooked…
Is…
Just be quiet.
Get comfortable with the pregnant pause. Once you ask a question, be quiet. Don’t try to fill the silence. Wait and listen to what your customer has to say.
What about you? What’s your best advice for listening well?
