Listening Techniques for Better Client Insights

You don’t need a script to grow your business. You need actual conversations. The kind that feel real, not rehearsed. The kind that build trust, not pressure. Because people don’t buy when they feel sold to. They buy when they feel understood. That’s where active listening comes in. Here are 10 active listening techniques that build trust (and close deals): 1. Start with a question  ↳ Not a checklist question. A human one.  ↳ Ask “What would a win look like for you?” 2. Paraphrase what you hear  ↳ “So what I’m hearing is…”  ↳ This simple line proves you’re paying attention. 3. Be fully present  ↳ No distractions. No multitasking.  ↳ Your focus is your credibility. 4. Let silence work for you  ↳ Don’t rush to fill every gap.  ↳ A short pause gives people space to open up. 5. Ask a follow-up  ↳ "Tell me more about that." ↳ Curiosity is a superpower. 6. Acknowledge emotion  ↳ “That sounds frustrating” or “That’s exciting.” ↳ It makes people feel seen, and safe. 7. Connect the dots out loud  ↳ “Sounds like this ties back to what you said…”  ↳ People feel known, not just noted. 8. Use notes wisely  ↳ Jot keywords, but keep your eyes up.  ↳ Trust is built in real time. 9. Summarize clearly  ↳ “Here’s what I heard, did I get that right?”  ↳ It shows respect and helps prevent missteps. 10. Close with next steps  ↳ Offer something tailored: an intro, an idea. ↳ No pitch. Just progress. You don’t need to push.  You just need to tune in. When people feel understood, they open up. And that’s when real business begins. It all starts with how you listen. 📌Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies  that don’t feel like selling.

CSMs are borrowing techniques from psychotherapy to save renewals. And it's working. The OARS framework comes from therapeutic counseling, but it's perfect for discovery calls. It builds trust faster than any sales technique because it makes prospects feel heard instead of sold to. Here's how it breaks down: - Open Questions. Stop asking "Do you like our product?" Start asking "What's the #1 thing being discussed in your boardroom right now?" Open questions force prospects to think and share real information. Closed questions get you yes/no answers that lead nowhere. - Affirmations. When customers hit milestones, acknowledge it. "You increased automation by 30% ahead of schedule" builds momentum better than moving straight to the next agenda item. - Reflections. This is the secret weapon. Repeat back what they said in your own words: Prospect: "We're drowning in support tickets and need better analysis." You: "So it sounds like you want to extract more insights from your current support system, and you're looking for solutions to do that. Did I get that right?" Reflections prove you're listening and give them a chance to clarify. Even when you're wrong, they'll correct you - which gives you better information. - Summary. End calls by pulling together everything they said, then ask: "What's the next step you think we should take?" When THEY suggest the next step instead of you telling them what to do, they're more likely to follow through. The framework works because it changes us the traditional sales approach that your clients might be used to. Instead of pitching and pushing, you're reflecting and guiding. Most reps ask a question, then immediately ask three more questions because they panic in silence. That turns discovery into an interrogation. OARS teaches you to ask one question, shut up, and let them talk. Then reflect what you heard before moving forward. Chad shared how he used this to save a six-figure renewal during a Sales Assembly session on Customer Discovery last week. The customer had been ghosting emails for weeks. Instead of pitching harder, he asked: "Is there something I should have asked you that maybe I didn't?" The response was a novel about losing faith in the product roadmap and feeling left behind by competitors. That one reflective question uncovered the real issue and saved the deal. Therapists know that people need to feel understood before they'll change their behavior. Customers need to feel understood before they'll renew their contracts.

What nobody tells you about executive presence: Silence creates more authority than words. Here are 15 listening techniques that will build trust: 1. The Echo Technique ↳ Repeat their exact words before responding. ↳ Forces complete understanding before reacting. 2. The Five-Second Pause ↳ Resist rushing to fill silence. ↳ Insights emerge when people feel space to continue. 3. The Deeper Dive ↳ Ask "What's beneath that?" after initial concerns. ↳ Real issues hide under surface statements. 4. The Lens Shift ↳ Ask "How does this look from your perspective?" ↳ Shows you value their unique viewpoint. 5. The Emotion Detector ↳ Name feelings: "You seem frustrated by this." ↳ People share more when emotions are recognized. 6. The Clarifying Recap ↳ "Let me make sure I understand correctly... ↳ Shows commitment to accurate understanding. 7. The Hypothetical Removal ↳ "If constraints vanished, what would you do?" ↳ Reveals thinking beyond current limitations. 8. The Devil's Advocate ↳ "May I challenge that assumption?" ↳ Creates space for productive disagreement. 9. The Intentional Notebook ↳ Take visible notes during conversations. ↳ Documenting words signals their value. 10. The Feedback Loop ↳ "What did I miss here?" ↳ Catches blind spots others see clearly. 11. The Statement First ↳ "I noticed X happening. Your thoughts?" ↳ Observations before questions reduce defensiveness. 12. The Physical Reset ↳ Put down phone. Close laptop. Make eye contact. ↳ Full attention has become rare. 13. The Story Completion ↳ When someone stops, ask "What happened next?" ↳ Important details often follow silence. 14. The Difficult Embrace ↳ Lean in when uncomfortable topics arise. ↳ Create safety around pain points. 15. The Room Scan ↳ Notice who nods, frowns, or stays quiet. ↳ Group dynamics reveal unspoken truths. Most leaders spend years developing what to say. Few invest equally in learning how to truly listen. Which of these techniques will you try out? ♻️ Enjoyed? Share this with others in your network. 🔔 Follow me, Ali Mamujee, for more content like this.

Most leaders listen. Great leaders uncover the unspoken. 93% of communication isn’t in the words people say. If you’re only hearing words,  you’re missing the real message. Great listening isn’t about hearing. It’s about uncovering the pauses, the tone, the hesitations. Most people think they know what they want,  but true needs are often hidden behind words. That’s why great leaders don’t just listen.  They uncover what others are afraid to say. I used to think I was a great listener. Until someone told me, “You only hear what you want to hear.” That stung, but they were right. I wasn’t listening. I was waiting to talk. And it was costing me trust, opportunities, and relationships. When I started paying attention to what wasn’t being said, everything changed. Conversations went deeper, trust grew, and problems I didn’t even know existed started to solve themselves. The LISTEN Framework: L – Look for non-verbal cues. Body language, tone, and pauses. They reveal the real story. I – Interrupt less. Silence is your superpower.  Try asking, “What else is on your mind?” S – Summarize what you heard. “What I’m hearing is...”  Builds trust and clarity. T – Tune out distractions. Eye contact beats multitasking. Put away your phone. E – Empathize actively. Feel their emotions,  Not just their words. N – Notice the unspoken. What’s avoided or left out often holds the truth. Here’s how I’ve seen this play out: 1️⃣ Negotiations: A client hesitated when mentioning their boss. I asked, “What can we do to support internal buy-in?” That one question saved the deal, which we closed the next week. 2️⃣ Meetings: A fidgeting team member revealed a project risk when I asked, “What’s on your mind?” Their insight saved us weeks of rework. 3️⃣ Coaching: A client kept saying, “I just want to do better.” I asked, “What does ‘better’ mean to you?” They opened up about feeling overwhelmed. That conversation gave them focus and renewed confidence. Listening isn’t just a skill. It’s a strategy for trust and impact. The next time you listen, ask: What’s not being said? The answer might surprise you. What truth have you uncovered by listening? ♻️ Repost to inspire better listening. ➕ Follow me for more leadership insights.

On #WorkingWithClients | I employ something called a 3 to 1 ratio when working with clients. When a client asks me a question, I have to ask three clarifying questions before I give one response. This does three things: 1.) It slows my processor down. My initial inclination is to solve the client's problem. And boy, does my mind race with all types of plausible solutions. Utilizing the 3 to 1 method helps me self-regulate my excited emotional state while not triggering that of the clients. 2.) Over the years, I've learned that hearing the client and listening to the client are separate activities. When I hear my clients, my biases and interpretations of what they say usually get in the way of my judgment. When I listen to the client, I navigate an empathetic process to deliver a compassionate solution. 3.) Lastly, compassion can only happen when I genuinely understand and feel the spirit of my client's needs. I can only do this effectively by asking follow-up questions that allow us to get closer to the truth about my client's situation. Remember, story truth and factual truth can be the same to the client because they are speaking to the emotion of their experience. I aim to work from story truth to factual truth and back to story truth again. Where does this come from? When I worked at LaGrange College (circa 2008/2009), our college President, Dan McAlexander, gave a presentation on engaging dissonance. He used the metaphor of peeling the onion to identify friction points in the workplace—we could only understand and solve a problem by understanding it two to three levels beneath the surface. Given my role working with families and students, it made sense to treat them in the same manner. I haven't looked back since and have encouraged thousands of young financial professionals to do the same. Cheers! Dr. Thomas

Looking to break in or stay in medical sales? Repeat after me: Seek first to understand. Then be understood. Think less pitching. More asking. Until you understand your customer- their workflow, their pain points, their preferences, their motivations- you’re just guessing. And guesses don’t close business. Insight does. Insight comes through thoughtful, well-timed, open-ended questions. And the discipline to actually listen to the answers. This isn't passive listening. Don’t just wait for them to stop so you can respond. This is active, locked-in listening. The kind where you're not just nodding, you’re learning. Where you pause, reflect back, and clarify. “What I’m hearing you say is your team prefers X because Y, is that right?” That alone can build trust. Be the one who actually hears them. Here’s 10 simple but powerful questions to open things up: 1. Can you walk me through how you currently handle [X]? 2. What’s working well for you right now and what’s not? 3. What does success look like for your team? 4. What’s something you wish was easier in your day-to-day? 5. How do you evaluate new products or technologies? 6. What’s most important to you in a partner or vendor relationship? 7. Where do you see things heading in your practice over the next 6–12 months? 8. What’s been your experience with [competing product]? 9. If you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing in your current process, what would it be? 10. Can I ask a follow-up question about that? Notice- none of these are pushy. They’re not designed to trap or corner. They’re designed to understand. And once you understand you can respond, position, educate, and ultimately serve. Because in this job, when you ask better questions, you gain the intel to make better decisions. Get after it and lmk what you’d add! 👊

Want the powerful technique that journalists, detectives, and Harvard’s negotiation experts use to dig deeper in conversation? It’s called looping for understanding. And it’s a simple 4 step process: 1. Ask Questions Specifically, open ended questions to uncover their perspective. Something like: “What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing right now?” 2. Listen The most important part, let them finish their point. Listen all the way to the end. Listen beyond words, watch for their body language and any underlying themes. If they say, “I feel like I’m always the one fixing mistakes.” You might notice that the phrase “always the one.” is an indicator of frustration or unmet expectations. 3. Respond It's not enough just to listen, your time will come. Follow it up with a brief reflection, their point in your words. “It sounds like you’re frustrated because you feel the workload isn’t balanced, and you’re picking up the slack.” 4. Check An important add on to your listening process, check if you got it right, then ask them to clarify if not. “Is that how you see it, or would you explain it differently?” This last step builds trust and allows the other person to refine or expand on their perspective. ------- Anything you'd add? First time seeing a post from me? Follow Matt Mosich for much more. And, if you found this helpful, repost it to help someone in your network too.

Last week, my client got hit with some hard truth. A prospect told him straight up: "You're not hearing what I'm saying." Ouch.  That one stings, right? But seriously, it was the wake-up call he needed. His first reaction? "They weren't listening to me." But after some reflection, he saw it: He was talking too much. (nerves) It wasn't about them. It was about him. So we got to work. We dialed in 5 key strategies to listen more effectively: 1. Ask "What" questions.      → then zip it and actively listen. 2. Summarize to clarify.    → "So what I'm hearing is...X, correct?"     3. Pause.    → Don't fill the space. Let silence work for you.     4. Control the frame.    → Lead the conversation, stay on topic.     5. Focus on them.    → Understand their challenges, goals, and desires. It's a mindset shift. From pitching to helping. From talking to understanding. And guess what? Since making that shift, he's had 5 more calls. Closed 3 new clients. The more he embraced the "listen-first" approach, the more value he created. And the more clients he landed. Remember People want to feel heard and understood. When you give them that, selling becomes effortless. You're not forcing anything. You're simply giving them exactly what they need. And trust me, they'll feel it. Agree?

Effective client management begins with proactive engagement, anticipating needs and potential hurdles. Mastering the art of listening plays a crucial role in this approach, allowing us to gain deep insights into our clients' operations and strategic objectives. Imagine setting the stage at the beginning of a project by discussing with your client: Dependency Exploration: 'Can we discuss any dependencies your team has on this project’s milestones? Understanding these can help us ensure alignment and timely delivery.' Impact Assessment Question: 'Should unforeseen delays occur, what impacts would be most critical to your operations? This will help us prioritize our project management and contingency strategies.' Preventive Planning Query: 'What preemptive steps can we take together to minimize potential disruptions to critical milestones?' Success Criteria Definition: 'How do you define success for this project? Understanding your criteria for success will guide our efforts and help us focus on achieving the specific outcomes you expect.' These discussions are essential for building a roadmap that not only aligns with the client’s expectations but also prepares both sides for potential challenges, reinforcing trust through transparency and commitment. By adopting a listening approach that seeks comprehensive understanding from the onset, we can better manage projects and enhance client satisfaction. Let’s encourage our teams to integrate these listening strategies into their initial client engagements. How have proactive discussions influenced your project outcomes? Share your experiences and insights. #ClientRelationships #AdvancedListening #BusinessStrategy #ProfessionalGrowth

The Meaning of Communication Is the Response You Get In my previous post, I talked about resilience and adaptability. Today, I want to explore how Customer Experience (CX) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) work together to create impactful and lasting customer interactions. As both a CX professional and NLP Master Practitioner, I’ve learned that it’s not just about metrics like NPS or CSAT; it’s about understanding the deeper reasons behind how customers speak and act, especially when they are upset or angry. This is where one key NLP presupposition comes into play: “The meaning of communication is the response you get.” In CX, it’s crucial to realize that no matter how well-intended our communication is, the true measure of success lies in the customer's response. Their reaction—whether positive or negative—determines whether we’ve succeeded in delivering a positive experience. Here’s how applying NLP principles can elevate CX, particularly when it comes to building rapport with angry customers: Active Listening: When a customer is upset, they often want to feel heard and validated. By actively listening—not just to their words but to their tone and emotions—we can better understand their frustrations. This approach shows that we genuinely care about their concerns, which can help defuse anger and create a sense of connection. Empathy and Validation: Acknowledging a customer's feelings is crucial. Phrases like, “I understand why you’re upset” or “That sounds really frustrating” can go a long way. This validation reassures them that their emotions are recognized and that we are on their side, working towards a resolution. Mirroring and Matching: Subtly mirroring the customer’s tone and body language can create a sense of rapport. If a customer is speaking passionately or with frustration, matching that energy (while maintaining professionalism) can help them feel understood. This technique can ease tension and create a more conducive environment. Offering Solutions: Once rapport is established, it is important to focus on solutions to ease the customer’s frustration. “Here is what I can do to fix this” helps shift the conversion from frustration to reassurance. Follow-Up: After resolving the issue, following up with the customer demonstrates that we value their relationship. A simple message to check in shows commitment to their satisfaction and can turn a negative experience into a positive one, strengthening loyalty. Blending CX frameworks with NLP insights doesn’t just improve customer interactions; it also enhances internal communication, leadership, and collaboration, nurturing a truly customer-centric culture. How are you applying human psychology in your customer strategies? Have you had moments where truly understanding a customer’s emotions made all the difference? I’d love to hear your thoughts! #customerexperience #strategicgrowth