Do You Hear What I Hear? Are You Really Listening to Your Clients?

It's amazing how much I learn when I have laryngitis!

I actually point out to people to listen/hear to themselves talking and what they are saying. Why? What they say and what they want doesn't match up.

This reminds me of the old verizon commercials where the actor asks, "can you hear me now?" We should continue to ask clarifying questions until we truly understand what the other person is trying to say or ask. 

Well said, John Marshall - FORE! . Another side is that sometimes people do not hear the answer given because they are looking for something else. Kind of a two-way street.
Bruce

John Marshall - FORE! - Well done.  Excellent post.  I always pay attention to my listen / talk ratio.  I strive for 80%-20% though I am not always successful.

Cheers,

Tom

I love to talk with people ... family, friends and clients.  I have always tried to be a good listener and when it was my turn, I would give a thoughtful answer or recommendation. If I did not understand their question, I might ask for clarification.  But when it comes to the answering part (my husband would say, "When you ask Diana a question, she will build a Swiss Watch!").  Well that might be true -- however, when I'm finished answering I always ask the question, did that make sense? Is that what you were looking for? Did I answer your question or do I need more information from you to make it clear?  See I just did it again!

Dear John,

If you ask a summarizing question every once in a while, communication can work better. "Do I understand you correctly, when you say that you are looking for a three-bedroom for your family, but may have more children in the future & are considering having your mom move closer too?" Sometimes, people figure out that way, that a flavor besides chocolate or vanilla will work even better for them.

I'm not perfect but every career I've had from telephone operator (dating myself) to hairdresser to real estate agent has been needing to "really listen" to the customer/client's needs. At some point it can be really life changing from saving a life (prior to 911 dispatching) to improving self-esteem to starting a new life in a new home. It all has purpose so we need to be quiet and listen. Life will be altered! Great post! 

Well I think it can go both ways. We don't always really listen to what the client is saying or asking, but they likely don't always really listen to us as well. Sometimes we hear what we want to hear

Jeff

Listening is definitely a great skill to learn!

Also, we sometimes might not be communicating our own thoughts as clearly as they seem in our own heads. Most things are open to interpretation and that interpretation is subject to so many personal influences it can be hard to predict. I often find it fun (other times frustrating) to learn how someone else has interpreted something I said or wrote completely differently from how I intended. 

Sometimes I would find myself thinking of the answer while they are still talking, and miss part of their concerns.  I have had to really work on that.... dang ADD.  The worst part is then I worry I will forget their answer and really stress out.  

John

Thank you for the follow. Looking at your site, you do a much better job than I do. cheers cve

I think when we demonstrate we are listening to our clients it helps build the relationship, even if we did not understand the question or have to ask for some clarification.

John, listening is truly an art, and takes a lot to ONLY listen, not assume, and not answer for them! 

Somedays we are all just too busy thinking on what we are going to say instead of listening to the real question - do you think it is because we are watching way too much CNN and  the political coverage LOL.  Happy New Year!

Hello John. I've been experiencing this a lot. I think most folks are just not patient. They are in a hurry and they don't read the whole question, post, text. They don't listen completely to the person sitting in front of them or the voicemail that they got. It's terribly frustrating!

Hi John

I read this before and came back for another read. There have been a couple of situations recently for me when I think I was not really hearing what the client was saying, but also another where a buyer was not really listening to me. It made me acutely aware of how important really hearing what our clients, and others in our busines, as saying, rather than assuming or just jumping in with what we think is the answer to the question or concern.

Thanks for the reminder for us all!

Jeff

It's something we have all been guilty of at one time or another. It takes effort to really listen, but once you get into the habit it becomes your norm and people respect you for it. It's so frustrating talking to someone who obviously isn't fully listening.