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Hi there.
Speaker:It's Sue.
Speaker:And thanks for joining me for tips and talk day.
Speaker:These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and
Speaker:things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business.
Speaker:If you'd like to submit a topic,
Speaker:DME, over on Instagram at gift biz unwrapped,
Speaker:A few weeks ago,
Speaker:I was in Boulder to visit family.
Speaker:One afternoon was spent on Pearl street,
Speaker:which is a favorite of mine.
Speaker:A portion of Pearl street is pedestrian only,
Speaker:but in addition to all the great restaurant options,
Speaker:brand name and local boutiques,
Speaker:there's also street entertainment,
Speaker:musicians, acrobats,
Speaker:mimes, jugglers,
Speaker:characterised you get the idea an important stop for us.
Speaker:This trip was the Liberty puzzle shop.
Speaker:My stepdaughter is the one who turned me on to this
Speaker:local business,
Speaker:and I wanted to treat us both to a new puzzle.
Speaker:These puzzles are really special.
Speaker:They consist of laser cut wooden pieces in shapes,
Speaker:more intricate than your normal cardboard version.
Speaker:Nothing against those mind you,
Speaker:but these Liberty puzzles are really extraordinary.
Speaker:Also, depending on the size of your puzzle,
Speaker:20 to 40 pieces of each puzzle,
Speaker:I'm guessing on the number here,
Speaker:take on the theme of the image.
Speaker:So if it's a puzzle of an outside bistro,
Speaker:let's say you may have puzzle pieces that are shaped like
Speaker:a fork or a bottle of wine,
Speaker:a flower centerpiece,
Speaker:things like that.
Speaker:Anyway, as I said,
Speaker:it's very special.
Speaker:When we walked through the door,
Speaker:we were welcomed and then left to our own devices.
Speaker:We took a lot of time going through the shop and
Speaker:looking at all the options as we consider different puzzles and
Speaker:just generally enjoyed our shopping time together.
Speaker:The store attendees were always available to answer questions,
Speaker:ready to engage in small talk.
Speaker:If we initiated a conversation,
Speaker:but otherwise left us to enjoy our experience.
Speaker:The shop had several interactive things you could do besides select
Speaker:and buy their products too.
Speaker:It all made for a very pleasant visit.
Speaker:And we walked out puzzles in hand,
Speaker:happy and ready to continue on to another fun encounter.
Speaker:The next store we entered,
Speaker:drew us in because of the light fixtures we could see
Speaker:through the window,
Speaker:all handmade overseas.
Speaker:They had lamps of vibrant color glass with spectacular shapes and
Speaker:textures that played off the light.
Speaker:So beautifully.
Speaker:Again, we were welcomed into this store by a shop attendee.
Speaker:As we walked around,
Speaker:this was right on our heels,
Speaker:giving details of every single item we looked at explaining how
Speaker:she would offer free shipping,
Speaker:that she had various sizes of certain things.
Speaker:Also telling us the price of each and every lamp.
Speaker:We hadn't even asked her.
Speaker:Any questions,
Speaker:mind you.
Speaker:She just kept talking.
Speaker:It got to the point where we didn't even want to
Speaker:pick up or look at anything else because we were afraid
Speaker:we'd activate her detailed information lecture.
Speaker:Once again,
Speaker:we couldn't get out of that shop.
Speaker:Fast enough.
Speaker:This shop owner literally chased us away by not listening to
Speaker:the reason for our visit,
Speaker:which at first was only to look around and ponder the
Speaker:options. Instead,
Speaker:what she did was forced her own objective,
Speaker:which was to sell something,
Speaker:anything. The result was the opposite of what she wanted.
Speaker:And she missed out on a pretty significant lamp sale by
Speaker:not listening and responding appropriately.
Speaker:Listening is a skill that seems so elementary,
Speaker:but is often completely ignored.
Speaker:The next time you're engaged in a conversation.
Speaker:I want you to observe your own behavior to check in
Speaker:on your listening skills.
Speaker:Sure. You may be hearing what someone says,
Speaker:but are you really listening?
Speaker:What's the message they're trying to relay.
Speaker:Does their body language coincide with their words?
Speaker:Are you sensing emotion,
Speaker:by the way,
Speaker:they're emphasizing certain words or with the faces that they make.
Speaker:All of these things should be taken into consideration before forming
Speaker:your response.
Speaker:We do this naturally just by the way,
Speaker:we've learned to communicate.
Speaker:You have to truly be listening and observing to capture it.
Speaker:Unfortunately, what often happens.
Speaker:And I raised my hand as being guilty too,
Speaker:is we're so busy figuring out what we want to say
Speaker:next, that we miss subtle clues and these clues,
Speaker:if not taken into account in your response affect your entire
Speaker:interaction, it leaves the person feeling misunderstood,
Speaker:not heard and not valued.
Speaker:If this is a potential customer,
Speaker:you've just lost the sale,
Speaker:which is exactly what happened in my description of being in
Speaker:the lamp shop earlier,
Speaker:have you ever listened to an interview where the response being
Speaker:given leads to an obvious follow-up question,
Speaker:but instead of going deeper into the topic,
Speaker:the interviewer asks about something else entirely unrelated.
Speaker:It's like they're reading off a list of questions that they
Speaker:want to get through,
Speaker:which they probably are,
Speaker:but in doing so they've missed a much richer conversation.
Speaker:So given all this,
Speaker:here are five tips to help you get your listening skills
Speaker:up to par.
Speaker:First, as I've already mentioned,
Speaker:focus on your customer and what they're actually trying to tell
Speaker:you. This includes their words and behavior.
Speaker:Secondly, avoid forming your response before your customer's done talking.
Speaker:You may assume,
Speaker:you know what they're saying,
Speaker:because you've heard some of this before,
Speaker:when they may be really trying to tell you something entirely
Speaker:different. Then if the information is detailed,
Speaker:repeat back to them,
Speaker:what you think they just said.
Speaker:So they have the opportunity to correct your understanding.
Speaker:If they need to then ask follow-up questions,
Speaker:to get more detail,
Speaker:if appropriate.
Speaker:If someone says your candles are beautiful,
Speaker:but it's not what I'm looking for.
Speaker:You can respond with.
Speaker:Okay? I understand.
Speaker:So you've eliminated the pressure to buy,
Speaker:but then you could ask further questions.
Speaker:Could you help me out for the future?
Speaker:What's missing that you were looking for this information can be
Speaker:a goldmine for product creation.
Speaker:Perhaps your candles are too heavily scented for them or the
Speaker:size of your candles.
Speaker:Isn't in line with what they needed or any other vital
Speaker:piece of information that if they walked away without this extended
Speaker:conversation, you never would have known as a side note here.
Speaker:When you do get product feedback,
Speaker:that doesn't mean you automatically immediately turn around and adjust or
Speaker:add to your product offerings.
Speaker:What you've just received as a data point in your research.
Speaker:But if the same comment keeps coming up multiple times,
Speaker:then it's something to consider.
Speaker:Finally, in this list of five listening tips,
Speaker:thank them for any feedback that was given.
Speaker:I look at comments,
Speaker:positive and negative as a real gift.
Speaker:Hearing opinions directly from your customers is much more accurate and
Speaker:valuable than you guessing what's on their mind.
Speaker:Listening does something else for you too.
Speaker:We're talking today about listening in relation to selling your products,
Speaker:but it's obviously important in personal interactions too.
Speaker:When you listen well and respond appropriately,
Speaker:the other person feels seen and you've demonstrated that their contribution
Speaker:to the conversation is important and valued.
Speaker:Don't underestimate these feelings.
Speaker:It can make great things happen,
Speaker:increased sales,
Speaker:deeper connections,
Speaker:and so much more.
Speaker:That's a wrap.
Speaker:I'm a get to the point kind of girl.
Speaker:And this is what you can expect from these quick mid-week
Speaker:sessions. Now it's your turn go out and fulfill that dream
Speaker:of yours.
Speaker:Share your handmade products with us.
