It was Bill Gates who is attributed as having said “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning” yet so many business owners have lost the art of listening, and choose only to hear!

However, there is a huge different between hearing feedback, testimonials and praise to the non to silent murmuring of disenchantment which if left unresolved leads to a breakdown in that all important relationship of trust bits taken so long to build.  It is far more satisfying to surround ourselves by the “Yes men” and doting fans who are engrossed in the ride, that they have forgotten where they were heading.  It is those who disembark before their stop we should have more concern for, as they are the ones who will ultimately de-rail our own progress through the winds of discontent.

It is far wiser to retune our ears from hearing to listening and to spend time, with broad shoulders, thick skin and an open mind listening to those who are unhappy with the journey we have taken, as they have all the answers as to how to put things right.

I have recently conducted a piece of work around retention, by going to some length to speak to people who had chosen to leave a clients membership business. I assured them I had no intent on trying to convince them to change their mind, but was most interested in learning what could have been done differently for them not to have changed their mind regarding their membership.  Once they realised I was serious and had no ulterior motive, they began to tell me of what had been occurring in their lives, their businesses the thought processes they had gone through to come to the decision they had.

Some of the information was hard to accept, they had their own agenda, their own reasoning and had formed an opinion far different from that of my own.  However, hard it is to accept an others opinion, we must desist from trying to change that, after all who are we to say ours in any better than theirs.  Better retreat, consider their feedback carefully and determine how best to change ourselves, our business model, our communication to prevent others from forming the same opinion, and by so doing demonstrate we do listen, and invite back those who see we do learn, thats what makes us different and unique.