tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82062138484845199522024-03-08T04:59:07.365-08:00Meg's Blog Meg Salterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09889411964141722880noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206213848484519952.post-31765659592685444202015-11-25T06:11:00.000-08:002016-01-11T02:29:52.877-08:00The Art of Listening<div class="MsoNormal">
Larry King once said “I remind myself every morning: nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening”. Very wise words indeed from a talk show host!<br />
However, it seems we are all so obsessed with being heard that we are forgetting the art of effective listening. As the world is getting noisier with more emails, e-books, white papers, tweets, websites, webinars, advertisements, blogs, podcasts and direct marketing campaigns we are all desperately trying to yell louder in order to have our own message heard.<br />
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We can’t possibly listen to everything and it seems to be that most people are finding it increasingly difficult to differentiate between quality information and thinly veiled sales campaigns. We are frustrated trying to wade through the tsunami of information that hits us through multiple mediums, and taking the time to find the right person with the right information, and then be able to focus on it with so many other things on our to-do list stalking our subconscious is becoming more and more difficult.<br />
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Listening is one of the most important skills we can learn. Those with young children in their lives or new people in their businesses will understand how difficult it is for toddlers or novices who don’t listen to learn, grow and develop. This is true of all humans; even if you are currently competently plugging along in your life or role, your skill base and relationships can’t grow and develop unless you learn this vital skill.<br />
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Here are a few tips to help you slow down and learn the art of listening again.<br />
1. Be present. Put your phone away, turn your emails off, remove all distractions and be in the moment when you are with customers, family and friends.<br />
2. Show you remember. Good listeners make it a habit to remember previous conversations and refer back to them.<br />
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3. Make eye contact. They say the eyes are the window to the soul, so when someone is trying to connect with you, let them fully engage by maintain a comfortable level of eye contact.<br />
4. Allow people to finish. Interrupting is as disrespectful as it is annoying. Learn to wait until it is clearly your turn to talk before you launch yourself and your opinion like a grenade into the conversation.Waiting until it is your time to talk makes for a much deeper and more engaging discussion.<br />
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5. Allow people to tell their story. Always jumping in with your own tall tale can make the speaker feel bad and take the shine off their story. If you have something you would like to share, don’t be afraid to do so, but be aware that story telling need not be a competition.<br />
6. Ask questions. Asking relevant questions shows the speaker you are not only listening but that you are also interested. The questions can be to clarify your understanding or find out more about the topic at hand, but either way, they will enable you to engage on a much deeper level.<br />
7. Be receptive. Even if you don’t like what you are hearing or you are listening to negative feedback, it is much more effective to lay back in your discomfort and try to keep an open and humble heart. When you get defensive or attack back to try and protect yourself, relationships can be damaged.<br />
Remember, we have two ears and one mouth and we should be using them in that proportion.<br />
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If you would like more information about how to develop effective communication strategies contact Meg on meg@megsalter.com.au or call her on 0414 503 887.<br />
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PS. If you feel this is useful, I would be extremely grateful if you forward it to your friends and colleagues.</div>
Meg Salterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09889411964141722880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206213848484519952.post-69714829721249851882015-10-28T06:08:00.000-07:002016-01-11T02:30:17.034-08:00"To the Line" Service<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of my absolute pet peeves is wine glasses with lines on them. Or emblems, or anything that dictates a maximum pour. Apart from the fact I am not a fan of having a maximum limit of wine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">enforced on my glass, I think it says a lot about the establishments that serve them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It always feels a bit stingy when wait-staff make a conscious effort to pour exactly to the line. It</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">makes me feel like I am not worth any more than that, that there will be no added extras tonight. I</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">always watch the wine get closer to the line in nervous anticipation, as if the level of appreciation for</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">my patronage is being measured out in front of me. When it stops right at the line, I get it. This</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">place is about not wasting time, effort, energy or wine on making my experience incredible. I would</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">almost prefer to have less wine and no line from a customer experience point of view (actually, I</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">wouldn’t, but you get the point). However, when the waiter pours a little bit more and goes over</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">the line, even slightly, I am ecstatic! I feel like I am valued, like I am special and that I am going to be taken care of no matter what.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think sometimes customers feel like this when they deal with salespeople too; like they are getting</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">exactly what they deserve and no more. The processes and steps are followed, the boxes ticked, the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">templates filed, the job is done. Nothing special just what is expected. This ‘to the line service’ does</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">not create an amazing customer experience, and it most certainly does not convert sales. If anything, meeting service expectations and just hitting the line, is almost as unacceptable as providing a poor customer experience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These days, I don’t think you have to go the extra mile. You don’t need to spend a heaps of money or really go out of your way to impress. I think you just need to add an extra splash. What can you do</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">to ensure you are consistently offering above the line service?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you would like more information about how to create an above the line customer experience</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">contact Meg on meg@megsalter.com.au or call her on 0414 503 887.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ps. If you feel this is useful, I would be extremely grateful if you forward it to your friends and colleagues.</span>Meg Salterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09889411964141722880noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206213848484519952.post-10777651229559194632015-09-30T06:09:00.000-07:002016-01-11T02:30:39.048-08:00Controlling the Close<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A few years ago I was involved in some Mystery Shopping with
a fabulous client. They are a huge business turning over a lot of money,
but they employed us to work with their sales force because they felt that
their call centre in particular was not converting enough of the enquiry that
their marketing was generating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a fun project and we found for the most part the
consultants were excellent. The product they were selling was incredible,
their knowledge and enthusiasm for their product was second to none, and they
were genuinely delightful people who could hold an interesting conversation and
make the caller feel special. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I get a bit nervous making mystery shopping calls because I
feel like I will deal with someone amazing who will sell so effectively I will
whip out my credit card and make a purchase. One of the consultant very nearly
did this to me – she painted such a clear picture I desperately wanted to be
the one in it - but in most cases I had nothing to worry about. It became
a predictable pattern that the conversation would go well until the end of the
call and then all of a sudden the consultant would completely fall to
pieces. Very few of the consultants displayed any confidence around
closing the sale and most calls would end with “so, have a think about it and
call me back in a few days” or “here is my direct line for when you are
ready”. Very few consultants took the lead; and as a potential customer,
even though the rest of the call was exceptional, I hung up feeling like I was
dealing with an excellent information service rather than a qualified sales
person.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In general terms, closing the sale is the most
nerve-wracking part of the sales process for the vast majority of salespeople,
and I have found it is generally the missing link for those consultant who are
not converting their potential. I often get the feedback that salespeople
don’t want to be pushy, they don’t feel comfortable forcing someone to make a
decision to hand over the cash. But these days, closing the sale isn’t being
pushy, closing the sale is being savvy and respectful. The customer wants
to you remain in control, and when you don’t it causes a lot of frustration on
the buyers’ behalf.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you feel lost at the end of a sales consultation, here
are a couple of tips to help you control the close.</span><br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->First of all, treat every customer like they are
going to buy. The majority of people who touch our businesses these days
already have the information they need and already have an idea about how much
it is going to cost them. Most of them have already made a buying decision, and
that is why they are coming to you. If you treat them like someone who is
shopping around, it is not only annoying, it is patronising. Give your
customers the respect they deserve and when they come to you, make it your
mission to help them buy something that will suit.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Don’t wait until the end of the consultation to
close a sale. These days it is imperative that we ask closing questions
throughout the consultation, and ensure we are closing at every step of the
process. We can learn a lot from the way the internet closes a sale – at
the end of every page, you have to choose yes or no before you can move
on. There is no button down the bottom asking if you would like to think
about it, or speak to your wife before making a decision. We need to do
the same – closing at each step is much more powerful than waiting until the
end and crossing your fingers you got everything right.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Make sure you have some strong closing questions
prepared. “Do you want to have a think about it?”, “Have we covered
everything?” or “How does that sound?” are too ambiguous in the current
market. Your close should be a closed ended question that is constructed
to get a “yes” response. For example, rather than “Did you want to buy
this today?” you could say “So, I feel like we have covered everything and
found something that suits your needs perfectly. Would you like to go ahead and
lock this in now?” That is a much stronger and more confident close that
is very likely to get a yes response.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Have a think about some effective closing questions for each
stage of your typical consultation. Jot them down, and if you need to,
rewrite them so that you have a few strong questions under your belt that are
likely to elicit a yes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lastly, remember that the buyer has not come to you
necessarily to get information or an idea of price. They usually need help making a decision and
they need guidance in order to make their purchase. You need to show your appreciation that you
have the opportunity to help, and make it your intention for them to leave you
with something that is perfect for them.
Forget about how much you are going to make, or how far you are off or
over your sales targets. If you really
focus on their need and remain in control, the numbers will take care of
themselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>If you would like more
information about how to control the close and sell effectively in the new
market <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>contact Meg on </i><a href="mailto:meg@megsalter.com.au"><i>meg@megsalter.com.au</i></a><i> or call her on 0414 503 887.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ps. If you feel this is useful, I would be extremely
grateful if you forward it to your friends and colleagues.</span></div>
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Meg Salterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09889411964141722880noreply@blogger.com0