Listening

Listening

“Knowledge speaks, wisdom listens.”
Jimi Hendrix

Though I was not a huge Jimi Hendrix fan, it’s hard to deny his virtuosity. And I just love this quotation. Having spent most of my career in sales, I have become aware over the years that the less I talk, the better it goes with my clients. That is to say, asking questions leads me to understand what my clients really want and how I can help them to get it.

A friend of mine, Louie Morgan, said in reference to a sale he recently made, “I used the OK close.” In other words, when his customer said what he wanted, Louie didn’t talk himself right past the sale. He simply said “OK.”

I’ve noticed that the Hendrix quote works great in my personal life too. It’s hard to get into an argument with any of my family members if I listen more than I talk. You can’t argue by yourself either. It takes two.

So whether it’s in business or in my personal life, it is always better to ask questions than to make statements. I already know what I know. Or as religious figure Saint Francis put it, “Remember, we learn nothing by speaking.”

If I am to learn something new, I must listen.