Want to Provide Real Solutions For Your Clients?
Want to Provide Real Solutions
For Your Clients?
Practice Deep Listening.
Consider these two conversations between a marketer and an established client:
#1
Marketer: “How’s it going for you in the pandemic?”
Client: “Oh, you know. It’s interesting every day.”
“Boy, isn’t it? Each morning I wake up and wonder what I’m going to have to deal with next.”
“Isn ‘t that the truth? I don’t know how our business will fare on the other end of this thing.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about you and have a couple ideas that might help you out. . . .”
#2
“How is going for you in the pandemic, Timothy?”
“Oh, you know. It’s interesting every day.”
“What does that look like for you? What are you experiencing?”
“Money is tight. Some of our clients have lost their jobs. Others are afraid they will and are just pulling back. People don’t know what the next 6-12 months will bring.”
“Yeah … How are you processing that?”
“I’m concerned about what it means for my job and the company. I’m always thinking about ways to reach out to our established customers, even if it’s just to stay in touch with them and let them know I care. I suppose this is a good time to reach out to prospective clients but I’m not quite sure how to do that. . . .”
(Silent listening on the other end.)
The client continues, “It’s pretty confusing. I’m an avid runner and like playing pick-up basketball. There’s no basketball right now, of course. But I still run at least three or four times a week. It’s hard when I’m preoccupied with my family’s safety and my own and the challenges at work. But it helps clear my mind and I feel better after I finish. Sometimes I get ideas about what to do for our customers so it’s worth making myself run even when I don’t really want to.”
“I respect the self-discipline it takes to keep running! What are some of the ideas you’ve had that stuck with you?”
“For example, the other day it occurred to me . . .”
The gift of listening
Deep listening demands getting our egos out of the way. Our agendas have to take a back seat to the needs of the person we are listening to. It can provide the gift of real relationships. You can serve your clients or customers with integrity and meaning.
It helps all of us who are in business avoid using other people–our customers–for our own selfish means. Deep listening helps us hear how we can improve our service or products. How we can make our little part of the world a better place.
Listen without judging
Think about how often we quit listening or filter our listening through our own expectations. We think, “I already know what she’s going to say,” or “No, I already tried that,” or “That’s a goofy idea.” As soon as that inner self-talk is going, we’ve quit listening.
The old Chinese word for “Listen” is pronounced “ting.” It can teach us how to really listen.
The upper left corner emphasizes that ears are primary for real listening. The lower left symbol represents “King” or the “Dominant” one. It reinforces that ears have a dominant role in listening.
On the right side, the upper corner reminds us of the need for the mind to be fully engaged. Eyes are helpful as we watch body language and for other cues. The heart is placed at the right lower corner. Right above it is the horizontal line. The line represents “one” or “to become one”, reminding us that if we listen with our ears, eyes, mind, and heart, we can “become one” with the person we are listening to.
You can connect with your customers’ hearts and really hear them. You can get to know their joys and loves, challenges and worries. When you know them at this more honest level you can engage them with genuine solutions. A real relationship develops. You can enjoy your work more, increase its significance, and they appreciate the privilege of doing business with you.
Consider trying this . . .
- Choose to set your ego and goals aside and really listen to someone else share their heart. You don’t need to say anything as they speak. Just listen and look and care. If they pause for 3-5 seconds, stay quiet. They might be ready to say something even more important.
- When beginning a dialogue with an existing or prospective customer or client, take three breaths before starting the conversation.
- Reflect on what filters you have established for listening to others. If she has a face piercing or he has a neck tattoo, she is short or he is a person of color–do you get in your own way of real listening? We all have our blocks to deep listening. And we are all capable of recognizing and releasing them.
As a highly trained Spiritual Director, Carmala Aderman has considerable experience as a quiet, deep listener. As a persuasive writer for personal development businesses and for companies who serve communities of faith, she is able to translate what she hears into language people connect with. If you would like to visit with her about writing for your business, email her or check out her website.