NetWorthJax

As sales professionals we all know that listening to our clients is key. But what happens in the networking arena is usually quite different. Most are just interested in promoting their own business or agenda. Since we have 2 ears and 1 mouth, that should give us a clue to building strong relationships and getting people to KNOW you, LIKE you and TRUST you. The benefits of listening and engaging yourself in ones conversation might surprise you. Listen for the opportunity of something more long-term than just the opportunity to “spill your beans”.

Good Listening Skills

A good listener, both on the telephone and in person, will:

• Always be prepared to take notes when necessary. That means having writing tools readily available.
• Repeat the information he or she heard by saying, I hear you saying … Is that correct? If the speaker does not agree, repeat the process to ensure understanding.
• Remain curious and ask questions to insure you are accurately understanding the speaker. Don’t assume you understand.
• Want to listen to the information being delivered.
• Be physically and mentally present in the moment.
• Listen by using the ears to hear the message, the eyes to read body language (when listening in person), the mind to visualize the person speaking (when on the telephone), and intuition to determine what the speaker is actually saying.
• Establish rapport by following the leader. Match the momentum, tone of voice, body language, and words used by the speaker. 

Poor Listening Skills

A poor listener, both on the telephone and in person:

• May be abrupt and/or give one-word answers such as no, yes, and maybe.
• Will be easily distracted. 
• In person, the listener may look around the room as opposed to focusing on the speaker’s face. 
• Over the telephone, the listener may be opening mail, eating, reading e-mail, filing, playing with hair, a pencil or a tie — anything that preempts focusing on the caller.
• Constantly interrupts, making the speaker feel that what he or she has to say is not important. 
• The listener finishes the other person’s sentences, implying that the listener already knows what the speaker is about to say.
• Changes the subject without even realizing it.
• Looks at his watch, signaling that you are wasting his time.

Copyright and Acknowledgement

© Terry Wildemann, CCSE, CPBA, Performance Consultant, Reiki Master, Image Plus…® Associates Professional Development Institute.  Phone: 1-800-Courtesy; Web: http://www.CustomerCourtesy.com  E-mail: Success [at] Image-Plus.com 

Article excerpted from Connecting With a Winning Telephone Image (October 1998, Aegis Publishing)

Filed under: Education by The NetWorth Ant