I am writing this week's edition from Knoxville, Tennessee, where I am conducting a program on Exceeding Customer's Expectations. Part of our discussion today was about listening and what gets in the way of really listening to our customers. What came up -- again -- is that we hear the same issues so many times that we get to the point where we believe that we have heard it all before. We believe -- mistakenly -- that we know the story and how it ends. Setting aside the assumption that we actually know the story (since all people are different, so are the details of their stories), there's another problem with this thinking: why are they telling us their story? If we don't listen, we can never answer that question. The answer to the question provides insight into what is most important to them and how they most want us to help them.

One of the jobs I had after high school was a receptionist in a doctor's office. As you can imagine, during cold and flu season, I got my share of calls from people who were sick. At first the calls all sounded the same. Then one day, a young mother called in. She was our patient, but so far she and the baby had only been in for routine check-ups. Now the baby was sick. The baby was only running a slight fever, but she was anxious. As I listened to her speak, I heard the fear and uncertainty in her voice. It was then that I realized that it didn't really matter if I had heard this story before; it was her first time telling it and she was scared. I did my best to calm her and I got her right in to see the doctor. She wanted someone to care about what was important to her and she wanted someone to help her.

How we listen to someone else says a lot about who we are and what we value. What does your listening say to others?

To Your Success,

Read More Success Builders Weekly™
See past issues in the Success Builders Weekly™ Archive.

About Success Builders Weekly™
Success Builders Weekly™ is an email series with short, fun success stories and quotes. To subscribe to Success Builders Weekly™, simply submit your email address with the form in this message or on our web site at http://www.bobbikahler.com/resources/successbuilders/index.php

Reader Feedback
If you have a comment (or even a criticism) about the Success Builders Weekly™, we'd love to hear it!