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May 31, 2007 at 08:00 PM
We have heard it again and again. People do business with those they “know, like and trust.” That’s true and we know it intuitively, but the question is: How much do we focus on getting people to know, like and trust us? The most important factor is probably “like.” Can we control how quickly or when people decide they like us?
In the book “Blink,” by Malcolm Gladwell, a study is referenced that was done to find out why some medical surgeons get sued, while others never get sued. When looking at surgeons and their practices, it was found that the surgeons who didn’t get sued spent, on average, just three minutes longer with each patient. And, in those three minutes, the surgeon just listened.
Interestingly, the patient still sued if a procedure the surgeon was involved in didn’t go as planned. However, it was usually the Internist, Radiologist or someone else who would get sued, not the surgeon, because the patient actually liked him. When the surgeon listened, he was silently yet clearly telling the client, “I think you’re important enough for me to take a few extra minutes to hear what you have to say.”
Hmm. We don’t sue people we like. We also will do business more quickly with people we like. And we will refer others to people we like. Can we deduce then that if we are good listeners, we will close more sales and close them quicker?
