Prop up those ears!
When I worked in the cable-news business, the best advice I’ve ever got was that when writing a story for a TV audience, tell it the same way I would explain it to a buddy while slamming down a couple of beers. A similar style of storytelling may now be emerging in b-to-b sales.
As the Web and social media dramatically alter the dynamics of business relationships, sellers have to change their game and learn to listen and talk less. John Baldoni, a leadership consultant, coach and author of “Lead Your Boss, The Subtle Art of Managing Up,” provides some advice on the art of listening in an article that ran Tuesday on Harvard Business Review’s Web site.
“Not every conversation need be on point and under the gun,” Baldoni said. “There will be times when you’ll need a more solicitous tone and a more leisurely pace, especially when coaching an employee or listening carefully to a customer concern. There, taking your time might be most appropriate.”
Read the full article here.
This new and evolving dynamic in b to b communication illustartes the theory that communication is listener-centered as opposed to speaker-centered. The words, tone, rate, pitch, intensity, and directness that the speaker invokes is completely dependent on the feedback(or lack thereof) that the listener conveys when receiving the speaker’s message. Better for a salesamn or employer-trainer to think on his/her feet than stick to a stale schema that has little to no effect on the listener.