![\"successful\"](\"https:\/\/sitesdev.net\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/successful.jpg\")
How well do you actually listen to your customers?\u00a0 It\u2019s not enough in this day and age to make a decent product, pay for some advertising to attract eyeballs and ship the product out the door.\u00a0 If that\u2019s where you are as a businessperson, then odds are you\u2019ll be acquired by a competitor before long. The customer has always been king, but in today\u2019s environment, the king has more and better information than ever before.<\/p>\n
Ask the Right Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n When a customer complains, the number one goal on your mind should be getting to the root of the problem.\u00a0 It\u2019s often the case that what the customer thinks is the problem might just be a symptom of something else.\u00a0 You can\u2019t get there if you just ask a series of closed-ended, yes-or-no questions.\u00a0 Instead, ask leading questions that get the customer talking so you can get to the root of the problem.\u00a0 Once you\u2019ve properly identified the issue, the solution usually presents itself.\u00a0 Even with cases in which it doesn\u2019t, you\u2019ve come quite far in expressing empathy and that you are actively trying to understand and address their concerns.<\/p>\n What\u2019s in a Name?<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the best ways that you can demonstrate to the customer that you\u2019re truly listening is to use their name in conversation.\u00a0 Even better, by personalizing the conversation, you\u2019re demonstrating that you\u2019re not just seeing them as a nameless, faceless consumer. They\u2019re not one of many. They\u2019re not just a checkbox on a laundry list of problems you have to deal with today, but a specific, named individual that you\u2019re paying attention to. That is as important as it is powerful.<\/p>\n Stop Selling<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the worst things you can do, a sure sign that you aren\u2019t actually listening to your customers, is stay in \u201csales mode\u201d when a customer is bringing a problem to you.\u00a0 That\u2019s not the time to sell them something else. They\u2019ve clearly got an issue with one of your products or services, and your attempt to sell them a different product or service a) does not actually address their problem, and b) makes it more likely that you\u2019ll lose them as a customer altogether.<\/p>\n What you want to do in these cases is stop trying to sell and start trying to save the customer before he throws his hands up in frustration and walks out the door. To do that, you need to demonstrate that you\u2019ve heard and understood the issue. The best way to do that is to restate it.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve demonstrated a good understanding of the customer\u2019s concerns, don\u2019t stop there. Now, you need to provide or recommend a solution. Your solution should not be something that revolves around you selling to the customer. You need to actually fix the problem, or the odds are good that you\u2019ll lose the customer in addition to the sale. True, there are exceptions to every rule and it can happen, but your customer won\u2019t be happy about it even in the best case. Remember, bad news spreads faster than good, so make sure your customer is delighted with your problem solving skills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How well do you actually listen to your customers?\u00a0 It\u2019s not enough in this day and age to make a decent product, pay for some advertising to attract eyeballs and ship the product out the door.\u00a0 If that\u2019s where you are as a businessperson, then odds are you\u2019ll be acquired by a competitor before long. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":24238,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n