Two Ears and a Sale

A friend of mine loves to say, "God gave you two ears and one mouth, which means you should be listening twice as much as you talk."  That's great advice in our personal relationships as well as at work.

Some retail associates make the mistake of giving customers way too much information while learning nothing from the customer. Last month I was in an electronics store standing in front of a flat screen television. An employee came up and gave me a good three to five minute dissertation on the features of the television.  At the end he said, "So what do you think?"  To which I replied, "Thanks, but I was looking at the stand."  I did want to suggest that he ought to focus less on features and more on benefits but decided I would bite my tongue and carry on with my day.  What's funny is that this is the second time in the same store that exact thing has happened to me this year.

Customers will tell us what we need to know in order to create a sale when we take the time to listen.

And listening is more than just hearing.  I know I'm sometimes guilty of talking with people but not really listening to what they're saying.  Waiting for someone to stop talking so I can say what I'm about to say is a sign that I'm not really listening to the other person; I'm just waiting for them to stop talking.  Whenever you ask your customer a question listen intently to their answer.

Years ago I worked with a man who drove us all crazy because whenever you'd have a conversation with him there would always be these really odd moments of silence after you finished talking and when started speaking. I figured the guy was just a slow thinker. Over time I learned that he was just a great listener. He didn't decide what to say until he took in what you said.  Not surprisingly, he was one of the top one or two salespeople in the store every single month.

Customers will tell us what we need to know in order to create a sale when we take the time to really listen.

I always find it funny when companies feel they have to teach active listening skills. Do we really need to teach people how to nod their heads, rub their chins and say, "Hmm, interesting" to communicate to another person we are listening?  Instead, shouldn't we be teaching people the benefits of active listening?

And that benefit is quite clear - Customers will tell us what we need to know in order to create a sale when we listen more and talk less.

So let me ask, are you really listening to your customer?

Note to managers and owners - This same advice applies to working with employees.  Employees will tell us what we need to know to help them develop when we take the time to really listen.