Success in sales has a direct correlation to our ability to listen. I use the term “listen” here to describe the act of listening with our ears and/or listening by reading the words of others. There are two types of listeners:
- Purposeful listeners – A purposeful listener is one that listens intently to learn and apply what they learn. They listen with a purpose of learning, obtaining, absorbing and incorporating into their actions, applying what they have heard.
- Passive listeners – A passive listener hears, walks away and forgets it. They do not listen with the intention of applying their knowledge.
The next time you are in a conversation, either in person or online, ask yourself which type of listening you are using. Even more interesting, ask yourself which type of listener the person on the other side of the conversation is.
Would you change your message if you realized your customer is listening passively? Consider how you are listening during the day and see if it makes a difference.