The Art of Listening

We’ve done an awful lot of talking about what you are supposed to say as you are presenting MPM to people. We haven’t talked very much about listening. We’re going to now because being a good listener is just as, if not more important, than knowing what to say. If you don’t know where a person is really coming from how are you going to know the right things to say to them. That comes from listening!
Mastering the art of listening will put you ahead of 90% of the people in business. Do you know how to really listen? 20% of your time in conversation should be spent asking and answering questions. The other 80% should be spent listening to what the person is saying and not saying.
You can learn more by listening, than you ever can by talking. Talk and you lose. Listen and you win.
Lots of people working to build a business do a lot of telling and selling. They spend lots of time talking about their company and their products, instead of asking questions and finding out what the prospects interests really are. Your prospect will tell you everything you need to know if you’ll just listen.
Learn how to read body language. Learn how to tell people’s energy. You can learn everything you want to know about a person in the first minute or so if you learn how to do it.
Prospects love to feel listened to. Being listened to makes the person feel special. Are you a good listener, or do you interrupt so that you feel better about yourself? Most people don’t have someone to listen to them. When they find that, it opens their mind to the person who is listening to them. Listen without judgment and criticism. It will give your contact a level of trust in you that will open their mind. Listening is critical to developing a valuable business relationship.
If you don’t listen well, you’ll miss great opportunities. Developing your listening skills is critical to your building a successful MPM business.
When you are talking to someone, really listen to them. Don’t be thinking about what you are going to say next. Make sure you hear what the person is saying, not just what you think you are going to hear. There is usually a tremendous difference. You’re going to have to teach yourself to master the art of listening.
Concentrate. Don’t hear just what they are saying. Watch their body language. What are their eyes saying? What are they NOT saying? That will tell you just as much as what they ARE saying. Listen below the surface. Listen affirmatively. Affirmative listening is listening for – not just listening to. You’re listening for what you need to know. Affirmative listening really connects you to the person you’re listening to.
There are a lot of good books about listening. Go get one of them. Read it. Study it. Make it a part of you. It will not only help you build your business. It will help you in every area of your life – in every relationship in your life.
Make use of questions. Say things like:
Can you say more about that?
What do you mean by that?
Tell me more…



Mastering the art of listening takes commitment to change. It means making a commitment to really pay attention to the person you are listening to. They will tell you what you need to know.
You already have a pretty good idea of whether you are a good listener or not. Just ask yourself honestly. If there is massive room for improvement – get with it! Your future depends

Rex

The MPM Team



"When you make a mistake, don't look back at it long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind, and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power."
Phyllis Bottome
1884-1963, Novelist and Lecturer