How to offer Delightful Customer Service Part 2 - Listen

The driver information center display of my new car indicated the need for air in my right front tire. However, the station offers frequent services that are generally an air hose with pressure gauge attached. So I needed to make a visit to a local house, parts and buy a tire gauge. When I asked said tire indicator, the clerk turned around and immediately found an indicator of tire tread depth and handed it to me.

Maybe the sales person to give me what I asked? Yes!

Maybe the sales person to give me what I needed? NO!

He could have asked a simple question to clarify my needs? Yes!

I was happy or disappointed?

One of the most important skills professional salespeople must have the ability to listen is highly effective. Active listening will provide the listener with the customer's needs, wants, and above their expectations. One of my favorite sayings is: "I've never heard of a sales person who heard their way out of a sale."

Let's take a look at some common skills used in effective listening. Following this brief review of skills, an overview of the benefits offered.

Keys to effective listening

Ask open-ended questions

If the goal in conversation is to discover the needs and desires of a client, open ended questions are a must. Ask questions that begin with who, what, when, how, where, for example. One of my favorite open ended questions is not an issue at all. Just ask the client to "Tell me more about ...." and they will. The point here is to get and keep them talking. My friend in this story could have asked a simple question of open and solved my needs exactly. "What will be the size of tires?"

Be present-

When you listen to others, this may be one of the most common mistakes people make. They do not listen. What I mean is that often people are distracted by external factors. Factors such as; other conversations, background noise, other people nearby, or even the general context can be a distraction.

Perhaps the most overlooked distraction is a distraction inside. For example, many people can not remember the name of a person who just met. This is because thinking about the next thing you are going to say, instead of paying attention to the person. They have the same thing happens to a sales person who is thinking about the next thing to say and do not really listen to another customer. Focus on the other person when it comes, may be present. Again, the parts counter if the seller would have thought for a second, Joe seems logical that a consumer would need a thicker gauge and tread depth gauge. In fact, I did not even know what it was, when I offered it.

Paraphrase what you heard-

One of the primary skills of listening is the ability to paraphrase what the client said. This not only send a strong signal that you are actually listening, but confirms the listener immediately misinterpreted what was said. While it may not be the best example, the clerk of the above could have stated the following: "So what I hear you saying is you need a tread depth gauge?" Watch as this would clearly defined my needs for him?

Write that down-

Another strong listening skills is to write a summary of what the client or the client is saying. Not only does this give you a record of what is said but also shows you are listening carefully to the other party. A further advantage of the points of incision in a conversation that will help you remember what the commitments were made. If it is quite important, give a copy of the notes to the customer. This will garner greater commitment on their part.

Now that we have reviewed some of the keys to effective listening, we visit how these skills help deliver a delightful customer service. Effective listening delight your customers, why;

You can understand the point of view of the customer.

Their needs, desires and expectations are clearly understood. Successful sales people find the need behind the need of their customers. A sales person who actually listens will also be aware of the value they provide to customers from their perspective. There's an old saying that the sales people should follow: "We must try harder to understand than to explain."

It will grow from the comments received.

A good listener is usually more accessible and then you get honest feedback from their customers. The term "constructive criticism", is generally perceived as negative, but the feedback of development may be welcomed as a positive signal. If you have developed the ability to interact with customers, as in Part 1 of this series of articles, will be much more inclined to give honest feedback. Customers can provide feedback to sales personnel of the company's products, processes and services, as well as their personal style of selling. Every time a customer does not provide feedback, be sure to inform them of any corrective actions you or your company in question has as a result. If feedback is given and nothing changes, the feedback evaporates. And so are your customers.

You can learn more about the business.

It 'so simple. The more you listen ... the more you learn. Listen to what the client is saying on industry trends. How customers to offer their perspectives regarding the specific business, you can use this information to help the other accounts. Look for every opportunity to learn from your customers and their employees.

Remember, customers do not care what you know, until you know how much you care. Listening to your customers to show them you care.

In 1500, French essayist Michel de Montaigne said: "Speech belongs half to the speaker, half to the listener." In order to provide a delightful customer, the customer should speak much more than the sales person. The history of the tire gauge is a bit 'one-dimensional, but serves as a basic model to help understand the importance of effective listening. Using the buttons above to listen effectively will result in sales and customer service delicious. Do not give your customers a tread depth gauge, when they need a pressure gauge. Ask questions and listen to the answer, of course, grow and learn. All while delighting your customers .......