Are You Listening To Me?

We all want to be heard. However, the quieter you become the more you can hear. Have I caught your attention? Are you willing to listen for a couple of minutes about some good advice to consider while having face to face communications with another person or group? Today’s world of emails, twitter, and facebook often take the one-on-one component out of communication. Although these online exchanges are important tools to use today, nothing is more telling than a face to face meeting. Every day we are in conversations or verbal exchanges with family, friends, co-workers, vendors, customers and the list goes on. If your days are busy, you could have 100 or more interactions a day, some brief, some longer. It is natural to want to be heard and often you have to speak up to make your point of view. We have all been “the one” who feels that what we have to say is the most important message to be heard. To be a good communicator however, you have to be a good listener. It is natural for people to want to talk about themselves and we have all been in exchanges where you just cannot get a word in. Often people just want a forum to be heard and the good listener, the person who listens intently and with empathy, understands this. Have you ever been in a meeting where everyone is talking and wants to be heard and finally someone in the group will notice the quiet one and say, “you are being very quiet, don’t you have anything to add?” that person is probably a good listener. When you listen and hear what is being said you have a deeper understanding and meaning. Try incorporating a few of these 7 steps to effective listening and see what you hear:

1.      Face the speaker and maintain eye contact.

2.      Be attentive but relaxed.

3.      Keep an open mind.

4.      Don’t interrupt and don’t impose your solutions.

5.      Wait for the speaker to pause to ask clarifying questions.

6.      Avoid finishing the speaker’s sentences.

7.      Pay attention to what isn’t being said.

Being a good listener for most does not come naturally. It takes practice and patience, good luck!

Would Your Customers Say You Are Easy To Do Business With?

We are all so very busy today. Life is fast paced and it seems like the things we need to do far out weigh the things we want to do. As a business owner you know this all to well. Your customers are no different from you. They are juggling the same things that you are. Do you think they would choose to do business with someone who makes it easy or more difficult? Easy right?!

If we were to survey your customers, what would they say?

We were contacted recently by a company who was not experiencing any growth in fact their sales were decreasing. They were not able to figure out what the problem was.  We spent time speaking with the employees, watching and analyzing the sales process and came to the conclusion that the processes they put in place to make the sale were actually making it difficult for their customers. Especially repeat customers who did not want to have to share their personal information each and every time they placed an order. 

With the help of the front-line employees, we were able to simplify the process and make it easier and quicker for their customers to place an order.  By involving the staff that were ultimately "in charge of" placing the orders, we quickly made the changes necessary and they were part of the new process and therefore were invested in the outcome. The outcome of course would be increased sales leading to growth. We measured results for a specific period and were thrilled with the outcome. This small but significant change had two dynamic benefits. First, it increased sales and the company is now growing. The second benefit which is a passive change, yet still extremely beneficial, is that the staff is now focused on placing client satisfaction first. They have seen that they play an important role in the success of their company and have more pride in the job that they are doing.

What is a Client?

When meeting with business owners we often refer back to this mantra. There is often a disconnect and our job is to reconnect. Please read and forward to anyone who may find value in the message. We are all either a client or the one fulfilling the service or product.