PPB June 2020

you are calling to check in and to update your records. They’ll appreciate that. Most people respond well to such a gesture and, frankly, few of your peers will go to this much effort. Always be looking for clues. Be cognizant and prepared for what you learn. They may still be working at the same company, but their responsibilities have changed. Or, they may no longer be at that company but have moved on to a new opportunity, which is something you will want to know. Some of them, unfortunately, have been furloughed and are looking for their next career move. Maybe you will find you can somehow be instrumental to them in their plight, but you won’t know any of this until you pick up the phone. Be An Empathetic Listener Empathetic listening is an art. Becoming really good at it can be critically valuable, especially now that people are more isolated. When you are practicing empathetic listening, you ask a leading question and then wait for the answer, as opposed to waiting for your turn to do the talking. When you hear the answer, ask your next question based on how the person answered the previous one. The more you can keep the focus on them and their situation and not yourself, the more they will tell you. “How is it going for you and your company?” may be a logical question to ask, but if they already told you they have a new job title, instead of asking how they like that job, ask them what their new responsibilities include, what it is like for them, what the company’s plans are and what their future looks like. These are the questions that will tell you what the changes truly are and where the company— and this customer—is headed. That’s what a consummate professional does: asks, listens to the answer, clarifies further and moves deeper into the conversation. See what you can learn with this process and record good notes for recall later. The more you know about a person, the more likely you can improve their situation in some way while, at the same time, enhancing your reputation as a professional who cares and is here to serve them long term. Put another way, be the person you would love to hear from if you were in your customer’s situation. Dave Ribble is a coach, speaker, author and facilitator with more than 40 years of experience in promotions, advertising, sales and marketing. He and his wife, Gaye Kruger-Ribble, are owners of distributor StandOut Marketing Strategies in Spokane, Washington. Reach him at Dave@StandOut-Marketing.com . If you are a little nervous about the thought of doing video, that’s good, because it means you care about doing a quality job. | JUNE 2020 | 73 THINK