Chris Stiehl, an independent research consultant who calls himself “The Listening Coach,” has built a career on helping people listen.
“Your prospects are talking but are you really listening?” asks Stiehl, a human-factors-engineer who has worked for the Cadillac division of General Motors, the U.S. Coast Guard, and even the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
“At Cadillac, we spent about $20,000 on a Voice of the Customer project that saved the company $3 million per year going forward,” says Stiehl, who notes that a lack of listening is not just a North American problem. “We have conducted listening research in India, China, Brazil, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Switzerland, as well as Canada and the United States.”
During conversations with a prospect the goal of an independent consultant should be to monopolize the listening. A good rule of thumb is to listen 80 percent of the time and talk 20 percent.
These are the three proven steps for success when it comes to listening carefully and responding appropriately:
- Identify the issue. What is on their mind? Why did they reach out to you? What is their goal, what assets do they have in place, and what are their roadblocks? Ask questions to find out and listen carefully.
- Listen for the prospect’s mindset. This is not about good and bad people; actually, this is about how they view the world at this point in time. Are they a thinker, a doer, a struggler, or an achiever? Again, ask questions and listen carefully.
- Respond in a way that meets what that person wants and needs. To respond appropriately requires matching your language to the mindset of the prospect. Say the appropriate words that the thinker, doer, struggler, or achiever needs to hear.
Pain into Gain Riddle
Your target prospects experience their own unique frustrations and pains. As the old adage states, “People don’t care what you know, until they know that you care.” Truly identifying your prospect’s predicament tells them that you understand and empathize with them.
The Pain-Into-Gain Listening Riddle
How will prospects hire you unless they trust you?
How, in turn, will they trust ideas they have not heard?
How, in turn, will they hear without someone to speak?
How, in turn, will you speak unless you have a solution?
How, in turn, will you have a solution unless you understand their pain?
How will you understand their pain unless you listen carefully?
How will you prove you listened unless you respond appropriately?
The listening coach Stiehl says that when you have conversations with prospects, here are ten questions you might work into the conversation:
- Can you describe for me the “ideal” experience with a ____________ (your line of consulting). How do most compare to this ideal?
- Can you describe for me a recent time that the experience was less than ideal?
- What are the three most important aspects of doing business with a___________?
- If I said a __________ was a good value, what would that mean to you?
- In what ways does dealing with a _________ cost you besides money (time, hassle, effort, etc.)?
- What is the biggest pain about working with a _________?
- Would you recommend a _________ to a friend or colleague? Why, or why not?
- How does working with a _________ help you make money?
- What does a _________ do really well?
- If you had the opportunity to work with a ________ again, would you? Why, or why not?
You don't have to ask all the questions. Use this as a suggestion for drafting your own mental outline. The important thing is to monopolize the listening and let them do the talking. As one author's mama used to tell him, "Get the cotton out of your ears and stick it in your mouth." In other words, listen.
