Four Simple Strategies To Enhance Your

Listening Skills

“YOU ARE NOT LISTENING TO ME!!!”

How many times do you hear your customers say:

What did I say or do to alienate this customer?

What verbal cues did I miss?

Did I put my agenda above his or her needs?

Have I made other customers feel the same way?

Now ask yourself:

They crave someone who understands them; sympathizes with their difficulties and values their input.

Most of all, they expect a RESOLUTION.

Customers are no different than ourselves:

The following slides provide FOUR simple strategies to avoid distractions, and thus enhance your listening skills.

1. KNOW YOURSELF.

• What behaviors strike a nerve with you?

• Do you grow testy when customers are not to the point?

• Do your emotions boil when customers project their frustrations onto you?

• Are certain pressures---attaining quota (sales); reducing talk time (customer service), meeting deadlines (administrative)---taking precedence over building rapport and solving problems?

By identifying your weaknesses, you can consciously curb attitudes and actions that might alienate customers.

2. FOCUS ON THE OTHER PERSON.

• Let it all go for the moment.• Tune out all the noise and motion

around you. • Let the other party talk, accuse or even

threaten, and suppress your natural desire to talk back!

• Let them wear themselves out. • Keep an open mind; manage your

emotions and don’t jump to conclusions. • Take your self-interest out of the

equation. • Always focus on the big picture:

establishing goodwill and trust, fixing the problem and salvaging relationships.

3. BE THE PERSON THEY WANT YOU TO BE.

• Customers want people who are consistent and show genuine concern.

• Always come across as authentic, attentive, accepting and comforting.

• Speak as a measured, soothing pace, in a tone tailored to the other party’s personality.

• Most important of all, empathize with the other person – validate their emotions, even certain opinions.

Note: It is important that sometimes you share a similar life experience when warranted. Just be careful: some people will claim you are not listening when they really mean that you’re not adopting to their viewpoint.

4. UNDERSTAND AND SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

• Listen for clues to what’s truly troubling your customers.

• Paraphrase their words to confirm your understanding.

• Ask them to repeat themselves to ensure you didn’t miss anything.

• Ask for clarifications, to make them think everything through.

• Once you know what they want out of the conversation, it is time for you to DELIVER.

• Find the best possible solution to the customer’s problem.

• And-when it is done, say “Thank you.”

Remember, it is truly a compliment when customers give you an opportunity to LISTEN and save the relationship.

Source: http://www.managesmarter.com/msg/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003844107

The points discussed in this presentation are based on the article “The Personal Touch: Four Ways to Enhance Your Listening Skills” by Jeff Schmidt, a consultant from Dubuque, IA.

Greg Consulta