Two Ears, One Mouth... Listen UP!

Is it a coincidence that we have two ears and one mouth? Do you think we were made to listen twice as much as we talk? Now that’s an interesting concept.

In my career from a rookie account executive to the chief sales officer of a Fortune 500 company, I have come to learn the power of listening. Particularly into today’s economic environment, with so much changing, almost daily, listening to the customer is more important now than ever.

But before we go straight into the sales side of listening, let’s talk about the lost art of listening. Almost nobody listens anymore! In the corporate world our leaders, bosses, peers, our direct reports, they don’t seem to listen. The same holds true in our personal lives: our parents, children, friends or spouses (well the spouses really never listened to us) don’t really listen anymore. Why is that?

Is it that what we have to say is so much more important than what the other person has to say? Is it that we just crave to be heard? As in the movie Drumline, do we like to hear our own drum more than the collective sound of the drumline? Is it that we are so busy multi-tasking with the Bluetooth in our ear, the Crackberry in our hands and trying to hold a discussion at the same time?

It’s time to change all of that. Some important things are being said out there and it is not necessarily coming from your mouth.

It’s time to unhook, unplug, turn off the PDAs, look at the person you are talking to and listen! Listen and Learn! Again, there is a reason you have two ears and one mouth. It is not a coincidence.

This thing called listening is important to everyone; however for a salesperson it is the single most important skill of all.

So, Shut UP, Listen UP and Learn... that is a tough assignment for many salespeople to comprehend much less execute.

You see, in information there is power. When you meet with a customer, who has that knowledge, that power? They do! How are you going to get that information; from talking and filling every moment of silence or listening to the customer and acquiring that knowledge?

We are talking seriously listening here. To really listen you need to do more than just hear the words. You need to think about what you are hearing and digest it. You need to feel what your customer feels and sense his level of conviction in what he says.

You also need to pay particular attention to notice what is not being said.  Listen for what you don’t hear.

I’m a lighthearted guy, but I’m about to go serious on you for a moment.

A newspaper reporter friend and associate, Phoebe, was working on an article about infant mortality. She spent a lot of time in the intensive care nursery at the local hospital talking to doctors, nurses and parents about premature babies. On busy days there were more than 30 babies in the nursery. After a day or two she noticed something. She never heard them cry. Except for the sounds of respirators and hushed voices, the room was quiet. She asked about what she hadn’t heard. And the answer shook her. These babies were too weak to cry.

So Listen UP. There is much to hear, even in the silence.

Again, I know this is tough for most salespeople. More than anything we hate silence. It’s so awkward. And so we talk, when we should wait for the customer to fill the silence.

So listen. Listen with purpose. Listen twice as much (or more) than you talk.  Now more than ever, listen for what has changed. How is your customer coping with the recession? If your customer is moving in a new direction, can you help lead the way?

Two ears, one mouth... think about it.

Bruce on the Loose