When someone speaks to us, we all listen – or at least we should, if we are engaged in the conversation. What do we actually hear and how important listening is?
When it comes to business communication, listening is crucial! Depending on the impression we leave at the time, we can greatly influence future cooperation. It is very common for someone to give us information that is lost in a forest of information. However, this information is important to the opposing party, and we need to accept it.
What if we fail to listen carefully enough!
The holiday season is here, so I started researching gifts for the clients I work with last month. In my search for gifts for my clients, I discovered several interesting options. Inquiries were sent and orders were placed. In that process, I worked with several different individuals. I emailed the first one to find out when I can expect what she said she was going to send 5 days ago. Another sent packages to clients without sending the same to me for verification – a message was printed on a bottle of wine, and it was incorrect. In the third case, the product should have been packed in special bags – she realized this after she already sent the products.
Do you know what that means?
They didn’t read or listen to my requests.
It is understandable that the supply does not always match demand during this period when the number of orders is increasing. But will it be enough to justify everyone’s actions? Making mistakes was a result of not listening.
5 tips for avoiding mistakes!
Organize yourself!
Make a realistic plan before you start the job. Describe the steps needed to complete the work on time in it. The key to success is organization!
Take notes!
Create a table to manage orders or business steps – it doesn’t matter what application you use, Word or Excel will both do. Write down everything that is important:
Deadlines
If you have set deadlines for contacting the client, stick to them. You might forget, but your clients won’t. In addition, these deadlines play an important role in ensuring further business success for them.
Special wishes
Write down the client’s special wishes if they have any. Filling them out has been agreed upon, so do not forget to do so!
Notes
Make notes to simplify your business processes. For you to get the job done at the highest level, they may not be important to clients, but they are important to you. Take your time! Sometimes when you think all is well, and that everything is under control, you are deceived by the quantity of work.
Do not rush!
When you think you have everything under control, the amount of work can sometimes deceive you. Take your time – you’ll make it on time! There are times when you need to work longer, but you know it is just for the sake of meeting your deadlines!
Ask!
Is there anything unclear to you? Consult your clients! Asking is better than being wrong, isn’t it? Do not think you are wasting your time by asking. Just by doing so, you establish a good relationship. Though you may not be sure, it’s better if you believe you are doing well.
Get feedback!
Ask for customer feedback before and after the product or service is delivered, even if you believe you have done everything perfectly. Sending a small gift with the ordered products does not mean your work is done. Was it possible for something to be done better during delivery?
Nobody expects us to be perfect, but to listen to our clients’ wishes, adapt to them, and deliver what they really want. Take a proactive approach! If you make a mistake, correct it immediately, without asking whether you should. There are times when mistakes cost money – sometimes they are purely financial, and other times they cost the company clients. So listen carefully, and you’ll reduce the errors