I am currently in the process of upgrading my car. On the way out of a meeting recently, I saw a garage that sells the model of car I am after & decided to have a chat with a salesperson. I decided to test if he was really listening to what I wanted.
For me one of the first indicators of someone really listening & interested in finding out what are your needs , is whether they ask you questions. I wasn’t asked one question of what I was looking for, did I have children, a dog, or why did I need a large booth? He did ask me one question about my current mileage. I am interested in a diesel car (as my travelling is increasing) but he tried to persuade me that I didn’t need a diesel car. I am actively searching & open to other models but the sales person did not take advantage of that at all. He focused on the one car that I enquired about on walking into forecourt. He assumed alot.
For me, listening is actively engaging with the customer to hear what s/he is saying & asking relevant questions to find out what they are not saying. Next time you think you are listening, check if you really are listening to what the other person is saying or are you just waiting for your turn to talk.
Jo Brennan has 15 years international experience in Senior management roles in sales, marketing & people management, working in software, hardware, retail & recruitment sectors. Read more...
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Listening? or blah blah blah…
I am currently in the process of upgrading my car. On the way out of a meeting recently, I saw a garage that sells the model of car I am after & decided to have a chat with a salesperson. I decided to test if he was really listening to what I wanted.
For me one of the first indicators of someone really listening & interested in finding out what are your needs , is whether they ask you questions. I wasn’t asked one question of what I was looking for, did I have children, a dog, or why did I need a large booth? He did ask me one question about my current mileage. I am interested in a diesel car (as my travelling is increasing) but he tried to persuade me that I didn’t need a diesel car. I am actively searching & open to other models but the sales person did not take advantage of that at all. He focused on the one car that I enquired about on walking into forecourt. He assumed alot.
For me, listening is actively engaging with the customer to hear what s/he is saying & asking relevant questions to find out what they are not saying. Next time you think you are listening, check if you really are listening to what the other person is saying or are you just waiting for your turn to talk.