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The Spirit of Listening
posted on
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
Often overlooked, listening is a critical aspect of business. Whether you’re selling a product or service, garnering new business or retaining current business, listening is a marketing strategy repeatedly left in the dust, behind its more popular alternative - talking.
In an age of conversational marketing, businesses are jumping online, but ignoring the customer’s voice. As professionals, we are eager to offer tips, strategies, advice and punch lines – but many of us are forgetting to stop and listen to our customers. Competition can be fierce, therefore businesses need to spend a significant amount of time listening to what their customers want, feel, need and know. This marketing strategy, when used correctly, can be a competitive advantage.
Savvy professionals know that listening to consumer’s voices includes everything from a face-to-face meeting to a phone call to a blog posting about a product or service. Listening is a simple tactic to gather valuable information from customers, manage the relationships and learn how to make better brand decisions. In today’s world of consumer control, it greatly benefits businesses to honor customer’s voices and serve them better by listening to what they have to say. Hint: This helps create brand loyalty.
Lindsey Baker
Red Lizard Creative
Branding. Advertising. Interactive. Public Relations
www.redlizardcreative.com
Posted by Lindsey Baker | 5 Comments
Comment Posted by wow power leveling on April 24, 2008
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Comment Posted by Dana Bristol-Smith, President and Founder, Speak for Success on April 25, 2008
Here's my question: How many of us were taught to listen? I believe that listening is overlooked not only as Lindsey states as listening to our customers. What we don’t learn is how to listen to each other as human beings. I teach executives and professionals how to improve their presentation skills - which is essentially, the art of speaking. However, the best speakers that I've ever heard are great listeners---they listen to their audiences' needs, desires, issues and concerns and address them in their talks. If you want to sharpen your listening skills, you may want to read my article called Listening: The Overlooked Communication Skill: http://www.speakforsuccess.net/a-listng.htm