Building a successful business doesn’t happen in a day. It may take years before you see the result of your effort to establish your business securely. One of the most important keys for successful business is the customers. They play huge role to the success of your business because no matter how hard your efforts are, they won’t work if you don’t gain any customers. Your business revenue also depend on them more or less. Therefore, it is essential to put more effort to build long-term positive relationship with your customers. The first step to do so is to listen to them.
The right ways to listen to your customers
It can be said that attracting new customers is challenging but what’s more complex is to nurture the relationship to have somehow long lasting bond. One of the first important steps to take is to listen to your customers. By listening to them, you will have better understanding of what they need. Thus, you have idea of what to do to meet their expectation.
In business, negotiating, communicating, and selling are parts of the process to grow. However, those won’t work without effective communication. And one of the keys for effective communication is the willingness to listen not only to speak. There is higher risk to create misunderstanding through poor communication especially when you fail to listen to your customers. When you take your time listening to your customers, you will know what they are thinking. You will figure out what they need and want.
Listening is an effective tactic to reveal the real intent of what your customers have. This is also one of the strategies in persuasive marketing. Thus, there is no need to force your prospects to buy your products. When you listen to them, you find out their problems. Then, you can offer the best product of your brand that can help solve their problems. This will be appreciated by the customers because your main purpose is to help them not manipulate them with transactional approach.
Make sure that you listen attentively. Pay attention to every words your prospects utter. Do not pretend to listen but be genuine. Try to see the problems through their perspectives. This way, you will gain better understanding. Show your empathy to ensure them that you genuinely care. You have to be intense but stay in friendly line. Make sure that your gesture is not intimidating or imposing. Show friendly and easy gestures to make them easier to open up to you.
Summarize what you understand from the discussion. You can repeat and rewind what the others have delivered to you. Make sure to not making any judgement or personal interpretation. The main purpose is to let them know that you understand the message they try to convey. Encourage your customers to share their thoughts more until they don’t have any left to say. Then, you can offer what you can do to help their problems.
Edra Maulana