minds, metaphors and (ethical) manipulation
Posts tagged sales
Harnessing the power of your attention
Feb 6th
I wonder if you realise just how valuable your attention can be? As Nancy Kline puts it: “The quality of your attention determines the quality of other people’s thinking.”
If you’re an expert in a particular subject, it’s easy to believe that people pay you for your expertise, your knowledge, your advice. But in fact there’s more to it than that – they may well prefer to pay for your expert attention.
- Yesterday I visited an expert in gait and gait-correction, hoping to resolve a nagging running injury. She paid full attention to the shape and movement of my feet and watched closely as I walked and ran up and down the corridor. But she paid no attention to me – she didn’t introduce herself, asked only closed questions, and actively discouraged conversation. I ended up thinking: “Can I really trust this woman to make intelligent recommendations for my body? She knows nothing about me or my life.”
- At a Learning Technologies exhibition recently, I led a friend over to a particular company’s stand, knowing that one of their software products could be the solution to a problem he has in his small business. Within seconds we were pounced on by an expert More >
Will X-Ray Listening make you a better lover?
Dec 2nd
Short answer: Probably. Read on for more details
Last week I was speculating: “What if everyone knew how to listen?” and describing that special build-your-own-goldmine state, created by X-Ray Listening techniques, in which you can really connect easily with family, friends, colleagues and customers, and really understand what people are thinking and feeling.
“And then what happens?” asked my friendly neighbourhood marketing guru. “What will the benefit be for your customers? People don’t want a quarter-inch drill – they want a quarter-inch hole! If your service was turned into a pill, how would you know they’d taken it? What would you see that was different?”
“They’d have improved sales and be better lovers!” I joked.
But later I realised that it wasn’t really a joke. I have plenty of evidence that learning to listen well, to become fascinated by the other person and discover what’s important to them, can transform relationships of all kinds.
There’s my personal story: I was painfully shy before I began to learn these skills. Now I’m not only considered a bit of a whizz at networking, but also engaged to be married to a wonderful man.
I’m pleased I’ve taught him a bit of the X-Ray Listening stuff, too. He was wonderful already, of course, More >
Listening in business
Aug 26th
Listening in Business
Spend a lot of time talking to customers face to face. You’d be amazed how many companies don’t listen to their customers.
Ross Perot
“I only wish I could find an institute that teaches people how to listen. Business people need to listen at least as much as they need to talk. Too many people fail to realize that real communication goes in both directions.”
— Lee Iacocca
Former CEO Chrysler Corporation
Watch, listen, and learn. You can’t know it all yourself.. anyone who thinks they do is destined for mediocrity.
Donald Trump
“Of all the skills of leadership, listening is the most valuable—and one of the least understood. Most captains of industry listen only sometimes, and they remain ordinary leaders. But a few, the great ones, never stop listening. That’s how they get word before anyone else of unseen problems and opportunities.”
— Peter Nulty
National Business Hall of Fame Fortune Magazine
“We listened to what our customers wanted and acted on what they said. Good things happen when you pay attention.”
— John F Smith
Former CEO and President General Motors
“The best salespeople are great listeners—that’s how you find out what the buyer wants.” More >
