Building solid relationships is one of the core principles of Relationship Selling.  But building a relationship with your customer/prospect is not something that happens overnight. Just as you would nurture and care for a garden in order to see the fruits of your labor, building a good, solid lasting relationship with your customer/prospect takes the same amount of effort and time. One of the first steps in building a relationship is developing effective listening skills. Most people believe the listen, but in reality, very few actually effectively listen.

Here are 5 easy exercises to help improve your listening skills and set you on the path to building those relationships which will result in customer retention, referrals and best of all, more sales.

1. It’s the old saying “Practice makes perfect” – after all, you didn’t learn to drive in one day right? Learning how to effectively listen takes practice and time. Improve on your skills and practice daily until it just becomes a part of how you interact with others.

2. No distractions – did you ever have your child bothering you while you were on the telephone with a friend? Chances are that most of the conversation will be missed? Chances are, if you are like the majority of people, when distractions get in the way, listening skills go down the toilet. If you truly want to hear what your customer/prospect is telling you, then you need to close out all distractions and be present in the moment.

3. Listen for feedback – in other words, listen to the content they are providing to you; what challenges they are facing or the pain they are suffering. Gather the information and identify the key points. This goes a long way in being able to provide them solutions that will help build a solid relationship.

4. Take Notes – Actively taking notes while writing down keywords your prospect/customer uses will help you relate back to those words. Talking in your prospect/customer’s language resonates with them and helps them relate back with you. This will help seal the bond between yourself and your prospect/customer.

5. Do Not Interrupt – Don’t be thinking about what you want to say next. Before you begin talking, focus in on what your prospect/customer is saying and let them finish their thoughts before you begin talking. Nothing turns someone off quicker than talking over them, interrupting them or trying to control the conversation. The key here is to make them feel you are genuinely trying to help them solve their problems/pains. Be aware of when you interrupt; start to become cognizant of when you are talking. If you start interrupting, then it suddenly becomes all about you and the sale and not about them, which is counter to effective listening and relationship selling as a whole.

Learning how to effectively listen is a very powerful skill and it goes a long way in helping you when it comes time for the negotiation. Have fun and start practicing effective listening skills. Training yourself to be an effective listener in your everyday life will naturally flow into your professional life.