Stop, Look, and Listen: The Benefits of Active Listening

You may have heard of the expression, “in one ear and out the other,” and unfortunately, many times this old adage is true. While we apply active listening skills to many aspects of our lives from customer service and marketing strategies down to personal relationships, there are many times where words become lost. Many people may listen, but very few actively listen and consume the speaker’s words without scrambling to form our own opinions and responses before the conversation has even finished. At McCauley Marketing Services, we focus on listening to our clients’ needs and helping them provide exceptional customer service.

One of the most crucial business and communication skills is active listening. So what’s the difference between listening and active listening? Listening is almost as simple as hearing something. It comes almost naturally and what you retain from a conversation is dependent on what you want to remember. Active listening takes significant effort because you are clearing your mind, fully engaging in new ideas, and using critical skills to interpret the new information. As part of our marketing tips, McCauley Services reminds clients that communication can affect both customer relationships and a leader’s success in business.

By focusing on the conversation, people can ask more thorough questions and receive more useful information in return. Active listening provides you with new information and perspective, and it also shows others that you value their opinions, an important component in customer relationship management to nurture existing relationships and customer interaction. Not only should active listening take part in face-to-face interactions, but it is equally important for social media marketing to increase traffic and spread brand awareness. As technology use continues to emerge and users increase, examining your audience and providing quality content to fit their needs is important to developing your business.

As a full service Atlanta marketing company, McCauley Services can vouch for the importance of effectively listening to audience feedback. If you’d like more information about the marketing services we provide, please contact our office today. You can also connect with McCauley Advertising on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ for more marketing news and tips.