So You Think You're a Good Listener?

Salesmen are notorious for doing too much talking and not enough listening. 

I wonder how often when we're heading out to a listing appointment Do We  Plan to Listen? Seriously, I'd say most of us are 'Planning' on what we're going to say!

Chances are though that we already have all the information that we need to do our 'presentation'.  Odds are that what we don't have when we walk in that door is a 'listening' for our client!

Its kind of sweet when you think about it...clients invite us to their homes.....In their eyes...their homes are their castles!  In some ways its a little like 'sacred ground' that we're invite to walk upon..

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So when we show up at their door.....are we respectful?    At times like these , often our 'clients' are 'vulnerable' and waiting with baited breath to hear our evaluaton of their homes worth.....When we knock..and they open the door....do we..  

help them to relax and greet them with a...Smile? 

 Now they may think that we're  the big bad wolf  and that we're going to huff and puff and tell them how little their house is worth....... 

But mostly they're just proud of their house and want to show us how absolutely wonderful it is...

So when they take us on the tour of their house....and they start talking.........are we truly Listening?  

I hope that we're encouraging them...That we let them tell us EVERYTHING they love about their house....I hope we leave them with some dignity...when the times they are a hurtin'....Do we watch what words come out of our mouths?  Sometimes its easier to be detached and 'professional'.... 

Are we Empathetic?........it must be tough leaving a home you love...never mind selling it for a fraction of what you might have paid for it!.....Watch ... do we make eye contact  and show them we're listening and that we care......or are we feeling guilty for being the bearers of bad news...........

Do we Look at their Body Language ?...Watch their Facial Expressions..? Do we truly listen?

Do we  interrupt and make our clientsl feel we're not interested in what they're saying....and leave them feeling  frustrated that they can't  finish a thought? Are we feeling uncomfortable...and would rather get right down to  business?

Oh and do we turn off our cellphones and Blackberries...

  and let them know that for those few minutes..... listening to them  is what we want to be doing?

Do we change the subject?...  Or do we let them know we're paying attention and not waiting for a pause in the conversation so that we can interject something more important?...

Are we curious?Do we really care...?

Do we Withhold judgement?. . . Do we really know ALL the reasons, motivation, and why's and what fors as to why they're where they are? Lets not  prejudge.... Lets be  exceptional listeners...

I've found, that its amazing how willing these people will be to Hear us out...when they feel like they've Really been listened to.  :-)