The #1 Growth Hack For A Relational Business: Understand The Levels of Listening

Multi-tasking is a fallacy, especially when it comes to listening. And it’s the worst thing you can do if you’re looking for business growth.

 

Listening well in a relational business (and everywhere else) requires focus and effort.

 

Think about a toddler who is curled up in your lap. They turn to you and put their 2 hands on your face and turn it towards them. Now you’re staring at them up close. Now they know they’ve got your attention, and they can start telling you their story or asking for something. 

 

Isn’t that the kind of undivided attention you want when you’re speaking?

 

Following the example of the toddler probably would not go well in normal life - but that desire is in the heart of everyone telling a story. “Please listen to me.”

 

But if you are a busy business owner, growing a successful business by investing in relationships, how will you keep up with all those important conversations? 

 

How can you use your listening capacity wisely? 

 

You need to know at which level you should be listening otherwise it will sabotage your relationships. 

 

The difference between listening well and listening badly is knowing the levels of listening that any situation requires. And that is the #1 growth hack for any growing relational business. 

 

Not sure how to do that? Here are 3 ways to help you identify the levels of listening for different situations and how to use those to your advantage in a growing relational business.

 

 

Whether you are in the boardroom with a room full of people or on a zoom call, there is a level of conversation that requires you to look another person in the eye and to listen to them intentionally.  This is crucial for building relationships with important conversations. 

 

This type of listening takes a lot of effort. And there is a limit on your capacity for these kinds of conversations. 

 

On the other hand, if you are in the kitchen cooking dinner, you might also be playing music in the background and having a chit-chat with a partner, housemate, or family member. That’s a different level of listening altogether. 

 

Chattering does not require intense and intentional listening. You’re just allowing time to pass and enjoying having company.

 

Before you go into any conversation, business or personal, try to figure out what type of conversation it is. Is it eye to eye or is it chit-chat?

 

When you are listening at the appropriate level, relationships thrive and you can build relationships and both accomplish your goals for the meeting. 

 

The rate at which your relational business grows will be directly affected by how well you assess your types of conversations and which level you should be listening at. 

 

 

 

On any given day you might have 10 different people you need to talk to or 10 tasks that need to be completed in your business. It’s important to give your full attention to whatever you have prioritized for that day.

 

But what happens when someone important needs you?

 

You probably have a handful of people who take priority in your life no matter what you are working on. It might be a spouse, a child, a specific client, or even your team. 

 

When they send you an SOS in a desperate moment, you know you will drop everything and turn your face towards them, listen to their story well, and give them the help they need.

 

Be aware of who those people are in your life so you are ready to listen to them if the need arises. 

 

And be wise about who you allow to be a priority person. 

 

In a relational business, you will undoubtedly be surrounded by people. People who want to be listened to and heard. So keep your business growing by building relationships and listening to the people you have prioritized for that moment. 

 

Don’t try to listen to everyone. Multi-tasking and multi-listening won’t work. You might have to reschedule your meeting with one person, but they most likely won’t mind if they get your full attention when it is their slot.

 

 

 

Open up your daily and weekly schedules. (You can also think about this on a monthly and quarterly schedule with bigger, less-frequent meetings.)

 

Think about which times in the day and the week you have a better capacity for listening well. Those are the times to schedule important eye-to-eye meetings. When you do this, your relationship-building thrives and your relational business grows naturally and authentically.

 

Then think about which times you might be able to chit-chat. This might involve listening to Clubhouse while doing some household chores or taking a walk.

 

And then block off the times when you know you will not be able to listen well. Keep those times meeting-free and use those slots to work on your own projects or to take a rest.

 

It’s important to know which days of the week you have more capacity or have the right focus on the right projects to keep your relationships thriving and your business growing.

 

Set yourself up to listen well and keep the priorities you’ve set for each day and week. 

 

 

Listening well is the best foundation for building relationships - business or personal. 

 

Think about the relationship where you feel most listened to or heard. How do you feel about that person? Isn’t that how you want your clients and team members to feel about you? 

 

The difference between listening well and listening poorly is knowing the levels of listening that any situation requires.

 

That’s what we practice in our Mastermind, so if you’d like some eye to eye listening and accountability along your entrepreneurial journey, then join our Groundwork Brigade Mastermind and get the sustainable momentum you need to grow your sexy business and create your sexy life.

 

If you missed the conversation between David White & Kim White (they aren't related, but relatable), you can listen to it here. 

 

To further connect with David White email him at [email protected]. 

 

To connect and find out more about Kim or how to create a sexy business for a sexy life, you can reach her and the My Sexy Business Team at mysexybusiness.com.