Listen More to Learn More
Presales professionals need to listen more than question their customers
Failure to Listen
The Silent Crisis in Professional Communication
Failure to Listen
As presales professionals we are trained to communicate solutions and represent our organizations. But have we equally developed our capacity to listen?
Situation | From Preaching to Pausing
In today's fast-paced professional environment, listening has become a rare commodity. Whether in client meetings, team discussions, or stakeholder presentations, presales professionals often find themselves in a continuous cycle of pitching, demonstrating, and explaining. This constant outflow of information creates what I call a "listening deficit" – a scenario where we speak significantly more than we listen.
I believe we are fundamentally afraid of silence during our interactions and instinctively try to fill it with something. However, a well-timed and respectful pause is often exactly what's needed.
Many presales professionals are surprised to discover they dominate 70-80% of the conversation time. This imbalance significantly impacts our ability to understand client challenges and tailor solutions effectively.
The stakes are remarkably high when we fail to truly hear what others are saying. As presales professionals, our primary goal is to understand client needs and match them with appropriate solutions. Yet, ironically, our enthusiasm to demonstrate value often leads us to dominate conversations rather than facilitate them.
"Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply." - Stephen R. Covey
The barriers to effective listening in our field are numerous: packed schedules, pressure to close deals, technical complexity that demands explanation, and the natural desire to showcase expertise. However, the most significant obstacle remains our tendency toward excessive speaking – often before we've fully grasped what the client actually needs.
Turning Point | From Presenter to Partner
The transformation from being primarily a presenter to becoming a trusted partner requires a fundamental shift in how we approach client interactions. This pivot begins with recognizing a simple truth eloquently expressed by U2 in their song Every Breaking Wave “It's hard to listen while you preach."
The turning point comes when we shift our identity.
Consider this experiment: Over the next week, track the speaking-to-listening ratio in your client meetings. Don’t be part of the 70-80% who dominate conversation time as it significantly impacts your ability to understand client challenges and tailor solutions effectively.
"Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk." - Doug Larson
Practice | From Pitching to Listener
As a presales professional we need to pivot from viewing ourselves primarily as expert presenters to becoming expert listeners. This identity shift transforms our client relationships from transactional interactions to collaborative partnerships.
This shift to becoming a better listener requires a separate post, as such I will do a followup post in a few days. I hope to see you come back and consider my thoughts on this topics.
In the meantime pause abit and take some time to listen a little more.
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