Sales & Service Tip Of The Week

One of the hardest fundamentals of communication to master is the art of listening.  Granted, it is an “anatomical reality” when you consider the proportion of these two senses.  That’s why we have two ears and one mouth.  Get the picture?  We need to listen twice as much as we talk when dealing with our customers.  Listening is more than hearing a person talk.  It is an active involvement and a sincere interest in what the person is saying.  Get in the habit of being an active listener.  You want to understand the customer’s thinking and uncover needs so that benefits can be used to satisfy those needs.  Can effective listening help to control customer interaction?  Absolutely!  By asking questions you keep the customer talking and surface hidden needs, wants or desires.  Only then can you truly serve the customers by providing the products and services they really want or need.  So remember for this week, “listen first to understand, then talk to be understood.”