Dessert

Special occasions call for a treat. Always. French desserts are indulgent, luscious, and gracefully garnished. What accents the sweets is a small demitasse of freshly brewed coffee. This blog calls for the last of my short experience. Reflections of my experience and further benefits will be mentioned. What a marvelous way to complete such a formal meal!

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The past experience of mine has taken a lot of concentration and determination. Although my listening skills prior to the experiment was not that bad, old habits are hard to break. Looking at somebody and acting as though they are being listened to by me was one of my drawbacks. If your skills are worse than mine though, and as bad as many people’s, there is a vast amount of habit breaking to do.

All that said and done, it is substantial to comprehend that listening is not passive. There are chances of you thoroughly disagreeing with what the other person has to say to you, however, you will at least understand what exactly it is that you do not agree with. On the other hand, listening provides you with something or the other that is common between the two of you, and can make the speaker sense value towards him/her.

When matched up under marketing, listening without the presence of an agenda is beneficial. The procedure of buying has nothing to do with you and your wants and needs, it is solely about the customer. Many of us come to the sales table with an agenda of our own. Often, we are excessively busy keeping in mind quotas, promotions, and commissions too. A regular sales person, with agenda of his own, is gravitated to push too hard, and is said to not be a good listener. Leave your agenda at home, solemnly have your aim on your customer as well as how your product can serve their hopes, and goal, at the very best.

As a result of following the tips and suggestions I came across, I have in fact learnt more about myself. I used to think of myself as a good listener, or at least a satisfactory one, whereas the process made me realize otherwise. Taking into consideration the techniques, and having to communicate with strangers and not very close peers too, I realized what changes can appear. You tend to appreciate people and their words more than you used to. You become aware of more and more aspects of the various opinions of people. Thus, be deliberate with your listening, and continually stress on your goal of wanting to genuinely listen to what you hear.

• Concentrate on the message, omitting all the other distractions
• Ask questions, think back upon it, and rephrase to ensure understanding

As said by marketing strategy expert, Jean Gianfagna, with a cherry on the top:

The Payoff for Good Listening: Smarter Marketing

When ad campaigns fail due to miscommunication, marketers pay the price in lost market share and wasted resources.

Your marketing campaigns will gain authenticity, resonance, and engagement — and you’ll have a smarter marketing strategy — if you hone your skills as a listener. (Gianfagna, 2013).

Let’s be candid. You can grasp these skills almost overnight. Nevertheless, incorporating these amendments into your day-to-day communication, and maintaining this, requires a ton of practice. In the past 2 weeks, I have definitely been able to learn about different techniques but imposing them into my everyday communication will be a task, for sure. Hence, I want you to be aware of this aspect and be prompted to start abiding by these tips immediately.

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References

Gianfagna, J. (2013, January 21). Why listening is the most powerful skills of marketing. [Article] Retrieved from http://www.gianfagnamarketing.com/blog/2013/01/21/why-listening-is-the-most-powerful-skill-in-marketing/