Three hours. That is the solid average amount of time I spend on the phone with my clients during an active 8-9 hours throughout the day. That’s over 30% of my work day.
It’s safe to say, I directly speak to my clients ALOT. And it shouldn’t be surprising that most people in an office environment, especially in a role like mine, do the same.
Communicating on the phone can certainly prove to be exhausting, especially with a queue full of work to complete and email correspondences simultaneously flowing in like a vicious current.
On our busiest days it can be discouraging. One, two, three more voicemail alerts pop in while handling the current call. Overwhelming can only begin to explain the feeling in that situation.
I get it. It’s all part of the calculated madness in the business world. We make deals, we exchange pleasentries and most importantly, we get the work done.
But IS “getting the work done” or “sealing that deal” most important after all?
At the very least, are those the things that ensure future business between two trusted parties, leading to exponential growth?
I’m not so sure.
In fact, throughout the years, I have learned to inhabit a new, refreshing approach to the time spent on the phone, talking with my clients and reflecting on the meaningfulness of those conversations, about what is said and what can be learned from it all.
To put it simply, I have learned to…. listen to them.
Not listen in a sense where I can hear them clearly, with zero distractions, gripping onto their every word. But I have started to listen to what they like. To what makes them tick. To who they are.
I connect with them personally.
And what a difference that has made for me and the clients I have been working with for several years now. What a magical thing it is to break the barrier between business and raw, human, realism living inside of us all.
Sparking a flame of connection between two individuals, even to the slightest degree can drastically change the course of your business relationship, into an inspiring direction. Whether it’s about a shared love for dogs or the same distaste for a professional sports team, those small seeds of realness being planted between the two parties almost always blooms into stronger, bonded, and personalized relationships that thrive when they do business together.
Sure, not every conversation is light. Realistically, many are quick and some can be hard. But some of those conversations you have will come with opportunity to connect. It will leave you seeds to plant with the individuals you work with each and every day. Seeds that will enrichen your interactions, strengthen your connections and will ultimately lead to doing more, meaningful business together.
People do business with people they like, with people they trust, and with people they know.
So take the time to listen, to seize the opportunity to procure those personal connections and you will find in time that your business intentions will grow greater than ever before.
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Minds Like Mine 