by Russ Peterson and Kevin Karschnik
"Are you really listening... or are you just waiting for your turn to talk?” - Robert Montgomery
Effectively listening to your customers will give them the feeling that they are important; it will also tell them that you are appreciative of their business. Richard Hunsaker, author of Understanding and Developing the Skills of Oral Communication, states that we are distracted, preoccupied or forgetful about 75% of the time we are listening to another person. Any signal sent to your customer that gives them the feeling that “you’re just not important” will lead to customer churn. Every customer, as much as they may know they are not your only customer, wants to feel like they are. When was the last time you did not want to feel special?
There are three types of listening that people use in everyday conversations. The first is passive listening, where you are really only there in person or on the other end of the phone. You are completely tuned out and get neither the spoken or unspoken messages being delivered. The second type of listening is selective listening, where you fade in and out of active listening. You tune in and out to what is being said. You hear the voice but sometimes you do not hear the words. Or you hear the words but you are not focused on the tone or unspoken meaning. The final type is active listening. When you listen actively, you focus totally on the person with whom you are communicating. You hear their voice, you listen to the words they use, the tone of their voice, the rate of speech, the quality of voice and other important messages, some of which are not even spoken.
We are all human and sometimes it may be difficult to stay focused on the communication exchange with your customer. When you give your focus to active listening, you are able to detect moods, hidden meanings and other things that are not spoken. You may detect anger, happiness, frustration or sarcasm. Usually during active listening you are having two-way dialogue. You listen, respond, question, listen some more and reply accordingly. The following are some techniques for developing active listening skills:
Focused Attention
Focused attention provides a way for you to concentrate on your retailer and on what is being said. Do not multitask while speaking to your retailer over the phone. It will cause you to miss significant information, and will also be noticeable to the retailer. As Ernest Hemingway said, “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.”
Taking Notes
In your phone conversations, taking notes will not only provide you with the documentation you need after the call, but it will also show your employee you are actively listening and genuinely interested in their issues. Without notes you may lose key information that was provided in the conversation. Walter Pauk, author of How to Study in College, reports that people will forget 46% of what they hear after 1 day and 79% of what they hear after 14 days.
Paraphrase and Summarize
Summarize or recap to check the accuracy or your interpretation of your conversation. The notes you were taking will provide a great structure to what you will say during your summary. It also validates that you mutually understood the information. After your paraphrase, give your customer an opportunity to clarify or expand on the information.
Verbal prompts
Verbal prompts throughout the conversation are a way for you to show continued interest in what your employee is saying. It communicates to your employee that you are paying attention. The following are common verbal prompts you can use: “I see”, “Okay”, “Right”, “Yes” and “Uh huh”.
Test Yourself
After your next conversation, test yourself to see if you were truly listening – or just waiting for your turn to talk. Ask yourself the following questions: What did I learn from the other person? Who did more talking? Did I interrupt the other person? Did I ask clarification questions? Did the subject get changed? Who changed the subject? What will I do differently in my next conversation?
Ask Questions
When you ask questions to fill in gaps, complete your understanding and show interest, you are more likely to get a complete picture of what your employee needs. Showing interest by asking additional questions goes a long way toward building rapport and a positive relationship. This will also demonstrate to a customer that you are interested in what they are saying.
************** For information on Re-Printing this article *****************
****************** please contact info@ispeak.com ******************
©Copyright 2009 iSpeak, Inc.
