{"id":1312,"date":"2011-05-23T16:40:23","date_gmt":"2011-05-23T16:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wedevelopyou.com\/?p=1312"},"modified":"2023-10-22T14:34:20","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T14:34:20","slug":"improving-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wedevelopyou.com\/riggs\/2011\/05\/23\/improving-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"Get It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Feature Article<\/strong><\/p>\n

Improving Conversation<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Michael Riggs, M.Ed.<\/p>\n

There is nothing like the positive energy of a free-flowing\u00a0conversation<\/strong>\u00a0with a customer where ideas are being shared and both parties feel as if they are being heard. Conversely, there is nothing like the negative energy of a stale\u00a0conversation<\/strong>\u00a0where ideas stall and both parties can\u2019t seem to get their point across.<\/p>\n

Creating a fine\u00a0conversation<\/strong>\u00a0during any stage of the relationship building and sales process can be accomplished with much less effort than you think. However, certain basic skills must be understood and mastered so the\u00a0conversation<\/strong>\u00a0flows and is purposeful.<\/p>\n

The Power of the Pause.<\/span> Pausing during conversation<\/strong> is a simple, yet very effective, way to accomplish your primary goal \u2013 to have a meaningful dialogue that works toward a solution of your customer\u2019s problem.<\/p>\n

Pausing, before replying to a statement or question, is a great compliment to the speaker. It suggests his idea was worthy of consideration and thought. It\u2019s an effective way of saying, \u201cThat was a great idea, hmmm, let me think about that.\u201d Additionally, a pause will allow the speaker\u2019s thoughts to resonate in your own mind. Pausing allows you to hear more effectively.<\/p>\n

A pause also reduces the possibility of talking over a person. Often, the speaker may not be through speaking. Instead his pause might be just a gathering of his thoughts or a contemplation of how to finish his statement. People do not like to be cut off in mid-sentence. The person being cut off, justifiably so, may feel insulted that the listener doesn\u2019t have the courtesy to let him finish his idea or proposal. Being cut off makes a person feel unimportant. This is not a good tactic if you are trying to engage someone to eventually buy your product or service or enroll you as an advocate or advisor.<\/p>\n

The Power of the Paraphrase.<\/span> Paraphrasing, or restating in a summary format, the speaker\u2019s statement or idea is another simple way to promote a superb conversation<\/strong> that builds relationships and enhances confidence. By saying, \u201cSo what I\u2019m hearing is that you\u2019d like\u2026.\u201d you are making the customer feel as if you are listening and that you care enough make sure you understand his points.<\/p>\n

Often, a listener believes he has effectively heard the speaker\u2019s points and ideas, when in actuality the points were severely misunderstood.\u00a0 By paraphrasing the speaker\u2019s points, the listener is also making sure that both parties are \u201con the same page\u201d. This will pay dividends in the short run, as it will build sense of mutual confidence and collaboration, and will also reap longer term benefit, by reducing errors due to poor communication<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Power of Paying Attention.<\/span> There is nothing more frustrating for a customer, when sharing an idea or problem with a provider, than having to make his point over again \u2013 because the provider wasn\u2019t listening. This break down can effectively cause an entire deal to hit the wall, especially if this situation occurs early in the relationship-building period. Customers do not want to do business with providers that do not listen to their needs. They want to know that their problems are important and that the provider is listening with ears, mind and heart. Listening is the best way to tell the customer that you care. Listening builds trust. Listening builds discipline. Listening builds business.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

S\u00b2 Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n

When engaged in conversation<\/strong>, be sure to listen intently, pause purposefully and paraphrase for understanding.<\/p>\n

Success Story<\/strong><\/p>\n

Congrats to entrepreneur Matt Snider, founder of FishExplorer.com<\/a> for your creativity and perseverance in building the ultimate freshwater fishing resource in Colorado<\/a>, Texas<\/a> and now, Florida<\/a>! Fish on!<\/p>\n

In Another\u2019s\u00a0 Words\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, “Make me feel important.” Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.”<\/p>\n

— Mary Kay Ash, Entrepreneur<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Feature Article Improving Conversation by Michael Riggs, M.Ed. There is nothing like the positive energy of a free-flowing\u00a0conversation\u00a0with a customer where ideas are being shared and both parties feel as …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":12723,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.wedevelopyou.com\/riggs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/10\/linkedin-sales-solutions-W3Jl3jREpDY-unsplash-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wedevelopyou.com\/riggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wedevelopyou.com\/riggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wedevelopyou.com\/riggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wedevelopyou.com\/riggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wedevelopyou.com\/riggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1312"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.wedevelopyou.com\/riggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12372,"href":"https:\/\/www.wedevelopyou.com\/riggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1312\/revisions\/12372"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wedevelopyou.com\/riggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wedevelopyou.com\/riggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wedevelopyou.com\/riggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wedevelopyou.com\/riggs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}