Listening To Your Customers Empathetically-Recession Response

19 Apr 2020 · 1 min

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1:04

In this concise monologue, the presenter urges businesses operating in a recessionary environment to continue selling, but to do so fairly and responsibly. The core argument is that effective sales hinge on empathetic listening—truly hearing customers rather than merely waiting to speak. To cultivate this, the speaker introduces a simple “three‑breath” technique: inhale, exhale, inhale again before responding, which forces a pause, deepens attention, and signals acknowledgment to the customer. By combining fair pricing with genuine, paced listening, businesses can sustain themselves while supporting their communities.

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I see businesses right now giving everything they can to support their community, which is a wonderful thing, but they are giving it away freely. And the problem is those businesses won't sustain. I want you to realize you have an obligation to still sell in this market, but you must be fair to your customers as much as you're fair to yourself. That's the key. The foundation of effectively selling, particularly in this market, is empathetic listening. It's always been listening. They say the reason we have two ears and one mouth is so we listen twice as much as we speak. But most people mess up the listening part when they sell. In fact, they're just waiting their turn to talk. So there's a real simple strategy you can use. It's called the three breath technique. Next time you're listening to someone about their needs, before you respond, inhale, exhale, inhale again. You don't have to be that dramatic about it. And then respond. What that will force you to do is to slow down and truly listen. Plus, because you're taking pause, they see that you're acknowledging what they're saying. So go out there and sell. You've responsibility, but sell the right way empathetically.