Listening Between the Lines

I used to be a crummy listener.

I was the guy who finished other people's sentences. I was busily thinking of my next point when some one else was talking — a classic example of the saying, "the opposite of talking isn't listening; it's waiting to talk!"

When you're trying to build a lasting relationship of trust, that's not a good strategy. With a few stumbles, some good coaching, and more gray hair, I started trying a different approach.

At Encouragetech, we believe that channel partners and customers need our full attention. They need to be listened to at multiple levels: to their words, to the emotional subtext, to their body language. They need to sense that we are keenly tuned in to what is keeping them up at night.

I call this "listening between the lines." It is, in fact, the foundation of Encouragetech's approach to problem solving. And we're very good at it.

Good listening is built on up-front research that frames the needs of the customer. It requires rich, open-ended questions that start a quality conversation. It's supported by empathy and rapport that draws out information from stakeholders. Ultimately, good listening pays off when what has been said is validated, reflected and recorded in a way that is useful to others.

Encouragetech has all of those skills and more. We believe that excellent plans and partnerships are built from the ground up, by listening to customers, direct and indirect sales and service people, marketers, engineers, researchers, and others with a passion for business. Encouragetech works with leaders to help them listen effectively to these people and to each other, to make maps of their environment and their strategy, and to build bridges to the people they need to be successful.

We're known for being able to listen at many levels in an organization, from the executive suite to the job site. That ranges from conversation with conceptual thinkers like MBAs to dialogue with a hands-on craftsman roofer to discussions with distributor's sales reps on their way to customer sales calls.

Sometimes, we're listening one-on-one. At other times, we're facilitating effective group processes with anywhere from 15 to 100 or more people to define problems, assess capabilities and craft a consensus for action. We think this kind of listening encourages people to rise to their best, most energized level of performance.

Our ability to listen has served us across a range of industries, including healthcare, financial services, building products, motor oil, machinery, technology, automotive, telecom, and more.

A client recently told me that the thing he valued most from Encouragetech was our ability to listen. It made me appreciate the talented people who make up our company. It also made me realize that I've come a long way from being the crummy listener I used to be.

Call us. We're ready to listen to you.

Steve Schewe, President