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Add You - Tuning Your Listening to the Next Level
In recent years, companies have recognized the need to expand their businesses in the international arena. Breakthroughs in communications and transportation have facilitated this move and have enabled these companies to trade in various countries all over the globe. It is now easier for company representatives to travel armed with business proposals and tap or create connections in remote places.An obvious downside is the expenses attendant to air travel as well as the general difficulty of coordinating seminars and promotional conferences with numerous and/or remote participants. When a company representative in one country, for example, needs to present a proposal for a business deal in another country, he has to book a flight, arrange for accommodations in the host country, schedule a meeting with the target company and then present his company’s proposal. All these activities cost time and money and will be spent w
My volume control has three levels – level one, two and three. So let me tell you about these.
Level 1 listening
Level 1 listening or Internal listening is when we are listening to sounds and information around us that are just for our purposes and no one else. I recall September 11th and having to use Edinburgh ai
Linda felt like she had reached a plateau in her cleaning business. For the past 3 years, she'd run the same ads in the same publications with the same results. She would generate enough new clients to make up for the ones she lost due to normal attrition, but she was never quite able to get beyond her mediocre success."I feel a little stuck," she shared in our last call. "Every time I try running another ad or sending another mailer, I only generate enough new work to make up for the additional cost I've expended. I can't hire an additional employee until I get more work, but I can't seem to get more work. I really want to make more income for myself and my family and think I could do it if I could just get some of these new marketing strategies to work out."My next question threw her -- "What are you selling?" "What do you mean? I'm selling cleaning services," she responded. "No, what are you REALLY selling? Or
Shame on you Daddy.
“Sorry Bethan, what did you say?”
“It doesn’t matter now Daddy”
Gone forever that conversation and my daughter sulked for the rest of the breakfast. All because I simply hadn’t listened. I got stuck in my own little world relating everything to me and my concerns. Although I was carrying out classic active listening gestures – you know eye contact, face tilt, nodding, those little “uh uhs”, I wasn’t really listening.
But a woman is better skilled than us men at communicating – that’s been proven time and time again. And my daughter, at only 5, can spot when a man isn’t listening properly.
OK, I kind of got away with it this morning over breakfast…I think…I’ll wait until tonight to see if Bethan is still talking to me. But in sales you won’t get away with it, you’ll lose the sale and that’s not so good. Imagine if your customer turned round to you and said “you’re not really listening to me are you?”
That would be a killer wouldn’t it?
When practising rapport selling, not listening properly is practically a hanging offence. So how do we really do this? Two things.
One. Kick out active listening techniques. They don’t work, they’re false because just by giving the impression that you’re listening doesn’t add up. My daughter saw straight through me this morning and your customer will too. Two. Just know that listening is hard work and you have to concentrate on it. Someone once said to me many years ago that listening is really tough. At the time I thought this was nonsense and argued that talking was harder. How could I have been so wrong. You have to literally concentrate on listening to get it right.
And when you do the rewards are immense in selling. You build a rapport quickly, you find out about your customer – their needs, wants, desires, criteria – their problems and concerns. You know when to give benefits, you know when there’s a customer concern coming up, you know when to close. And these things make up selling.
So how do we do it. Think 3 levels of listening – a bit like a volume control on your IPod. When you want to listen more just turn up your volume control. I know it sounds a little bit daft but I have this imaginary volume control in my head and when I’m selling or consulting with clients and I want to turn up my listening, I turn up my volume control and this tells my brain to start listening more.
My volume control has three levels – level one, two and three. So let me tell you about these.
Level 1 listening
Level 1 listening or Internal listening is when we are listening to sounds and information around us that are just for our purposes and no one else. I recall September 11th and having to use Edinburgh ai
If you’re anything like me, you’re being bombarded with ezines and emails that continually try to sell you something. Sometimes a particular ezine even arrives on a daily basis, and truthfully, I sit there at my desk, wondering why I subscribe, so much so that I often unsubscribe just as fast as I sign up for them.Now, don’t get me wrong. I strongly believe in marketing and promoting what you’ve got (with consistency and conviction) because it’s the answer to someone’s problem, and if you’ve been given a talent and a gift for helping others, you OWE it to them to let them know you’re out there.But it’s HOW you promote that makes all the difference. I consider it a turn-off when I’m being sold to again and again, without getting much value otherwise. It just feels icky sometimes and, because I don’t have a lot of extra time in my day (who does?), I’d rather not get any additional stuff I can’t
But a woman is better skilled than us men at communicating – that’s been proven time and time again. And my daughter, at only 5, can spot when a man isn’t listening properly.
OK, I kind of got away with it this morning over breakfast…I think…I’ll wait until tonight to see if Bethan is still talking to me. But in sales you won’t get away with it, you’ll lose the sale and that’s not so good. Imagine if your customer turned round to you and said “you’re not really listening to me are you?”
That would be a killer wouldn’t it?
When practising rapport selling, not listening properly is practically a hanging offence. So how do we really do this? Two things.
One. Kick out active listening techniques. They don’t work, they’re false because just by giving the impression that you’re listening doesn’t add up. My daughter saw straight through me this morning and your customer will too. Two. Just know that listening is hard work and you have to concentrate on it. Someone once said to me many years ago that listening is really tough. At the time I thought this was nonsense and argued that talking was harder. How could I have been so wrong. You have to literally concentrate on listening to get it right.
And when you do the rewards are immense in selling. You build a rapport quickly, you find out about your customer – their needs, wants, desires, criteria – their problems and concerns. You know when to give benefits, you know when there’s a customer concern coming up, you know when to close. And these things make up selling.
So how do we do it. Think 3 levels of listening – a bit like a volume control on your IPod. When you want to listen more just turn up your volume control. I know it sounds a little bit daft but I have this imaginary volume control in my head and when I’m selling or consulting with clients and I want to turn up my listening, I turn up my volume control and this tells my brain to start listening more.
My volume control has three levels – level one, two and three. So let me tell you about these.
Level 1 listening
Level 1 listening or Internal listening is when we are listening to sounds and information around us that are just for our purposes and no one else. I recall September 11th and having to use Edinburgh ai
I am probably the queen of bootstrapping. Call it power, call it being in control, call it wanting to know it all. Regardless of the motivation, the most enjoyable thing for me has been to figure out how to do something with as little cash outlay as possible. I started my original company, MEG Fitness, with just my time. I was even able to promote my services by writing a free weekly health column and then took advantage of a cheaper alternative to an ad in another newspaper by being featured in their health section.When I think of the term bootstrapping, I always think of starting a business without outside financial help, but technically, it means, ‘using a special process to perform a task that one would be unable to do in general’. I found it can refer to much more than just business! But, for our purposes, I am referring to the term as I have always considered it: Raising yourself, and your business, up by your
That would be a killer wouldn’t it?
When practising rapport selling, not listening properly is practically a hanging offence. So how do we really do this? Two things.
One. Kick out active listening techniques. They don’t work, they’re false because just by giving the impression that you’re listening doesn’t add up. My daughter saw straight through me this morning and your customer will too. Two. Just know that listening is hard work and you have to concentrate on it. Someone once said to me many years ago that listening is really tough. At the time I thought this was nonsense and argued that talking was harder. How could I have been so wrong. You have to literally concentrate on listening to get it right.
And when you do the rewards are immense in selling. You build a rapport quickly, you find out about your customer – their needs, wants, desires, criteria – their problems and concerns. You know when to give benefits, you know when there’s a customer concern coming up, you know when to close. And these things make up selling.
So how do we do it. Think 3 levels of listening – a bit like a volume control on your IPod. When you want to listen more just turn up your volume control. I know it sounds a little bit daft but I have this imaginary volume control in my head and when I’m selling or consulting with clients and I want to turn up my listening, I turn up my volume control and this tells my brain to start listening more.
My volume control has three levels – level one, two and three. So let me tell you about these.
Level 1 listening
Level 1 listening or Internal listening is when we are listening to sounds and information around us that are just for our purposes and no one else. I recall September 11th and having to use Edinburgh ai
The big question asked me in teleclasses or client sessions is "How should I price my eBook?A. The big answer is "it depends."Here's Seven Tips to Help:1. Determine your audience's need and demand for your book. If your book solves a particular problem for a preferred audience, it will sell well at any price. When you know your 30-60 second "Tell and Sell," you'll be more likely to know a proper price. (That's the 2-sentence sound bite with book's benefits)Let's say you have a book "Stop Divorce Now." Your tell and sell includes "Helps the nearly divorced audience, both men and women." That audience gives your book a slant, and makes it more valuable. In the "Tell and Sell" you must also include the benefits your book brings its audience. The top benefit of this book is that it stops divorce now.No matter the number of pages, anywhere from 15-99, this kind of book will bring a healthy price.
And when you do the rewards are immense in selling. You build a rapport quickly, you find out about your customer – their needs, wants, desires, criteria – their problems and concerns. You know when to give benefits, you know when there’s a customer concern coming up, you know when to close. And these things make up selling.
So how do we do it. Think 3 levels of listening – a bit like a volume control on your IPod. When you want to listen more just turn up your volume control. I know it sounds a little bit daft but I have this imaginary volume control in my head and when I’m selling or consulting with clients and I want to turn up my listening, I turn up my volume control and this tells my brain to start listening more.
My volume control has three levels – level one, two and three. So let me tell you about these.
Level 1 listening
Level 1 listening or Internal listening is when we are listening to sounds and information around us that are just for our purposes and no one else. I recall September 11th and having to use Edinburgh ai
Business entrepreneurship - Are you ready for it?Business entrepreneurship fascinates a lot of people. Different people have different reasons for starting as a business entrepreneur. Some people take up business entrepreneurship just because they are fed up or bored with their daily routine job and want to try out something different. Others become a business entrepreneur because they think that their current job doesn’t get them enough money. And a lot of people get into business entrepreneurship because they want to be their own boss.Business entrepreneurship is a different ball gameHowever, business entrepreneurship or working for oneself is an altogether different ball game as compared to working for someone else. Though you don’t have a boss to report to, you have much more responsibilities when you are running your own business. A business entrepreneur has to take care of each and every aspect of hi
My volume control has three levels – level one, two and three. So let me tell you about these.
Level 1 listening
Level 1 listening or Internal listening is when we are listening to sounds and information around us that are just for our purposes and no one else. I recall September 11th and having to use Edinburgh airport to fly home. Great timing on my part eh? The airport was in chaos. There were security checks everywhere, people shouting and panicking – it was a nightmare.
There I was fully aware of what was going on and intent on getting home safely and on time. I was in level 1 listening mode and I didn’t care about anyone else. I just wanted to hear the information and sounds that would mean that I got home. I listened out for the broadcasts and particularly the words Birmingham. I kept my ears open for information that would help me and no one else.
When people talk to you, do you relate what they are saying to your experience? When someone has told you they went skiing this year did you immediately relate this to your last skiing holiday and talk about that. We’ve all done it haven’t we? Inadvertently we’re level 1 listening and thinking only of ourselves.
At level 1 our attention is on ourselves. We listen to the words of the other person but the focus is on what it means to us. At level 1 the spotlight is on me – my thoughts, my judgments, my feelings, my conclusions about myself and others.
Have you ever been thinking about what you are going to say next? We all do this.
So turn up your volume control now to level 2 and feel the difference.
Level 2 listening
Level 2 listening or focused listening comes next.
At level 2 there is a sharp focus on the other person. You can see it in people’s posture when they are communicating at level 2. Probably both leaning forward, looking intently at each other. There is a great deal of attention on the other person and not much awareness of the outside world. You are beginning to see their words and reasoning on their side of the fence. You’ve put yourself in their shoes and their world. The next time someone tells you about their holiday, relate their experiences to them. How they saw it, what they encountered, what feelings of excitement they had. Your awareness is totally on the other person. You listen for their words, their expression, their emotion, everything they bring. You notice what they say, how they say it. You notice what they don’t say. You see how they smile or hear the tears in their voice. You listen for what they value. You listen for their vision and what makes them energetic.
You switch off all distractions and I know this can be difficult.
I remember one of my first sales j
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