Building trust through active summarizing

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.

A great conversation doesn’t end when the words stop. That’s why the fifth step of the Ask Approach is to reflect and reconnect. When someone shares openly, the most powerful thing you can do is show them you truly heard and valued what they said. That means reflecting it back—summarizing what you’ve heard in your own words, checking you’ve understood it correctly, and acknowledging its importance. But it doesn’t stop there. Reconnecting means circling back after the conversation—sharing what you’ve done with their input, updating them on progress, or simply revisiting the topic to keep the dialogue alive. This step turns one-off exchanges into ongoing trust. It tells people: Your voice matters here, and it’s worth following up on. Because insight is only as powerful as what you do with it—and trust is built in the follow-through. When has following up changed the outcome of a conversation? #Leadership #Curiosity #AskApproach #HiddenInsight #TeamCulture #PsychologicalSafety #BetterQuestions #Listening #DecisionMaking #LeadershipDevelopment

Treating Recaps Like Afterthoughts Here’s something I noticed in every single one of my recent coaching sessions: Reps were asking strong questions. Prospects were giving thoughtful answers. And then… the rep would just move on. No recap. No validation. No alignment. And I get it. It’s easy to assume we understood. But what we forget is that the prospect doesn’t know that we got it right. A strong mini-recap sounds like this: AE: “Just to make sure I heard that correctly — it sounds like your team is handling smart contract work internally, you’re looking for support on the infrastructure side, and you’re targeting Q3 to finalize partners. Is that right?” This simple move does three things: 👏 Builds trust — you’re showing active listening. 👏 Creates clarity — so both sides are aligned. 👏 Sets up your next move — so you don’t accidentally pitch too early. Recaps are awesome because. They’re a structural backbone of the call. They let the conversation breathe. And when you do it well, it doesn’t sound scripted. It sounds caring. Because it says: “I’m not here to pitch. I’m here to understand. And I want to make sure I heard you right.” That alone builds more trust than any credential slide ever could. Stay curious. 📘 Click "View My Newsletter" above for weekly inisghts