2014 has come and gone; the holidays are over and it’s time to get started kicking butt in 2015. Are you ready for it? Do you have ideas on how you’re going to improve over 2014. If you don’t yet, as Nike says “JUST DO IT”. This year won’t be better than last year unless you do something to make it better. Take a few minutes and create your own set of ideas, goals and how you’re going to get there. If you follow A Sales Guy Recruiting you may have read our marketing maven Ruth’s blog earlier this week. If not, check it out. I wanted to write this blog before the holidays, but she beat me to it, so I’m going to feed off her blog and add my 2 cents. Ruth says, “This year will be different though, this year we’ll stay on the path, keep at it throughout the year; we won’t let it all fizzle out by March-ish. What’s the difference between the “A” Players that accomplish what we set out to do and everybody else.” Ruth says it’s “Consistency”. Keenan says it’s the “Why?”. I say it’s “Listen”. As the new year was approaching, I started thinking about what I want to change to make 2015 better than 2014. I had a great 2014, but when I have a good year, I want the next one to be even better, so I try to identify new goals to pay attention to throughout the year. Listen Listening is a skill that many people aren’t very good at but usually won’t admit it either. My goal is to get better at it. Listen to my clients, candidates, co-workers, even hubby and kids. Think about it, when you start a conversation with someone be it a client, your family or your friends are you are you ready to listen to the other person talk or are you just waiting to say what is on your mind. Stephen Covey said it well “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the reply. Another interesting fact, the word “LISTEN” has the same letters as the work “SILENT”. In sales and recruiting listening is a skill that will help you stand out from many of your peers. The best sales people are not only persistent, persuasive, strategic and good communicators. They have the ability to listen. When you’re in a meeting with your customer, it is easier and faster to reach a mutually beneficial solution if you are listening and hear what they are saying. It prevents miscommunications and conflicts that might slow down the sales process or even drive customers away. You may think that you know what your customer wants, but you may not have anticipated everything. Be prepared to listen so that you can figure out the best solution for everyone. Here’s to listening more and closing more deals. What is your idea to have a better 2015?
Be a Better Listener!
