How To Offer Delightful Customer Service Part 2 Listen

Writen by Terry Wisner

The display on the driver information center of my new car indicated the need for air in my right front tire. However, the petrol station which I generally frequent offers an air hose with no air pressure gauge attached. Therefore I needed to pay a visit to a local parts house and purchase a tire gauge. When I asked for said tire gauge, the sales clerk turned and quickly located a tire tread depth gauge and handed it to me.

Did the sales person give me what I asked for? Yes!

Did the sales person give me what I needed? NO!

Could he have asked a simple question to clarify my needs? Yes!

Was I delighted or disappointed?

One of the most important skills professional sales people must have is highly effective listening skills. Active listening will provide the listener with the customer's needs, wants, and more importantly their expectations. One of my favorite sayings is; "I have never heard of a sales person who listened their way out of a sale."

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

Keys to Effective Listening

Ask open ended questions-

If the goal in a conversation is to uncover the needs and wants of a customer, open ended questions are a must. Ask questions that start with; who, what, when, how, where, for example. One of my favorite open ended questions isn't a question at all. Simply ask the customer to "Tell me more about…." and they will. The point here is to get and keep them talking. My friend in the story above could have asked one simple open ended question and solved my needs accurately. "What will you be using the tire gauge for?"

Be present-

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

Maybe the most overlooked distraction is an internal distraction. For example, many people can't remember the name of a person they just met. This happens because they are thinking of the next thing they are going to say, instead of paying attention to the person. They same thing happens to a sales person who is thinking of the next thing to say and not truly listening to the customer's point. Focus on the other person when they are talking, be present. Again, if the parts counter salesman would have thought for a second, it seems logical that a Joe Consumer would most often need an air pressure gauge and not a tread depth gauge. In fact, I didn't even know what it was when he handed it to me.

Paraphrase what you heard-

One of the preeminent listening skills is the ability to paraphrase what the customer has said. Not only does this send a strong signal that you are actually listening, but it instantly confirms the listener properly interpreted what was said. Although it may not be the best example, the salesman above could have stated the following: "So what I hear you saying is you need a tread depth gauge?" See how this would have clearly defined my needs for him?

Write it down-

Another strong listening skill is writing down a summary of what the client or customer is saying. Not only does this give you a record of what is being said, but it also shows you are intently listening to the other party. An additional benefit from scribing the points in a conversation is it will help you remember what commitments were made. If it is important enough, give a copy of your notes to the customer. This will garner greater commitment from them as well.

Now that we have reviewed a few of the keys to effective listening, let's visit how these skills help deliver delightful customer service. Effective listening will delight your customers because;

You will understand the customer's point of view.

Their needs, wants, and expectations will be clearly understood. Successful sales people uncover the need behind the need of their customer. A sales person that actually listens will also be aware of the value they provide from their customers perspective. There is an old saying that sales people should follow; "We must try harder to understand than to explain."

You will grow from the feedback you receive.

A good listener is generally more approachable and therefore will get honest feedback from their clients. The term "constructive criticism" is generally perceived as a negative, but developmental feedback can be received as a positive. If you have developed the ability to relate to your customers, as in Part 1 of this series of articles, they will be much more prone to offering sincere feedback. Customers can give a sales person feedback on the company's product, processes, and services, as well as on their personal selling style. Whenever a customer does provide feedback, be sure to inform them of any corrective actions you or your company took as a result. If feedback is given and nothing changes, the feedback will evaporate. And so will your customers.

You will learn more about the business.

It's that simple. The more you listen… the more you learn. Listen to what the customer is saying about trends in the industry. As customers offer perspectives regarding their specific business, you can use that information to help other accounts. Look for every opportunity to learn from your customers and their employees.

Remember, customers don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. Listening to your customers will show them you care.

In the 1500's, French essayist, Michel de Montaigne said: "Speech belongs half to the speaker, half to the listener." In order to deliver delightful customer service, the customer should speak far more than the sales person. The tire gauge story is somewhat one-dimensional, but it serves as a basic model to help understand the importance of effective listening. Using the aforementioned keys to effective listening will result in delightful customer sales and service. Don't give your customers a tread depth gauge when they require an air pressure gauge. Ask questions and listen to the response, you will understand, grow, and learn. All while delighting your customers.

Terry Wisner, the "Partnering Pro," International Speaker, Consultant, and author, shares his experience and knowledge through energetic, entertaining, and enlightening presentations and seminars. If you want your Sales and/ or Service team members to delight their customers, call Terry. If you want to increase customer retention, call Terry Wisner. If you want to attract new customers, call Terry Wisner, the "Partnering Pro." Your team members will learn how to delight your customers every time and how to encourage each other to do the same. Visit Terry at http://www.terrywisner.com or http://www.p2s.us and learn more about Partnering and how it can help you and your organization succeed.