Listening Is Hard To Do

The world has become a very noisy place. Just last year, every minute, 204M email messages were sent, 2.5M pieces of content were shared on Facebook and 277K tweets went out. (For more fun stats, see this infographic from the folks at Domo.)

Anyone can say anything, anywhere in the world, on any of the multitude of digital platforms available. In fact, a 2013 study by SINTEF, found that 90% of all the data in the world had been generated in the previous two years.

If everyone is speaking, is anyone listening?

Listening is defined as:

1. Making an effort to hear something; being alert and ready to hear something

2. Taking notice of and acting on what someone says; responding to advice or a request

Let’s take the first definition: Making an effort to hear something; being alert and ready to hear something. Listening requires effort. You have to be prepared to listen. It is an active rather than a passive state.

Why is this important? Because, often, we are so focused on what we want to say to our customers and prospective customers about our products or services that we forget to make an effort to listen to what they have to say. We are simply waiting to talk.

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” ― Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

We need to actively shut down our own output and open ourselves up to the act of listening. This means totally focusing on what is being said, how it’s being said and where it’s being said. It means listening with the intent to understand.

Now, the second definition: Taking notice of and acting on what someone says; responding to advice or a request. After making ourselves open and available to hear what our customers are saying, we need to take the next step and act on what we hear. It is not enough to just take in the information. We need to do something with it.

Listening is active. It has two parts – clearing space in our mind and opening ourselves up to receive, and, then, making the effort to act on what we have heard.

For me, I have to actively shut down all distractions (yes, this means I have to stop checking my texts, email and Twitter) and focus all my attention on my customer and what they are saying. Once I have heard their feedback, I need to, again, find a quiet time and space where I can process what I have been told and come up with a plan of action.

What do you need to do to prepare yourself to truly listen to your customers?

In fact, your ability to listen to your customers could easily become your key competitive advantage. Stay tuned for more on the subject of listening.

Picture by Leeroy

#customer #marketing #listening