What Are Your Customers Really Saying?

When Michael Dell founded Dell Inc. he built his business around the concept of direct customer feedback. At the heart of this approach, which they now call “customer-driven innovation,” resides the enduring pledge to deliver finer solutions that speak to customers’ needs. And at the very beginning of this approach is that six-letter word, l-i-s-t-e-n. As a result, Dell has been the fastest growing company in the industry, opening its doors in 1984, becoming a Fortune 500 company in 1992 and attaining over $44 billion in sales in 2004.  Not a bad outcome for taking listening seriously.

Kentucky businesses whose purpose is based on helping people solve problems have leaders who listen. These men and women know that in order to realize their customers’ and staff’s needs they have to put their ears, in this case, to the grindstone.

Take Gary Glasscock for example. Owner of Manifesting Your Life, a life-coaching business in Campbellsville, Glasscock says that his ability to listen to clients’ needs is responsible for the increase of his income and the growth in his client base. “If clients don’t feel listened to,” he says, “you’ll lose them. A leader needs to pay strict attention to what’s being fed to him or her so there are not snap judgments or faulty assumptions made that may turn detrimental.

“I have always been told I’m a good listener,” he goes on. “Because of this, my clients are more willing to make referrals and spread my good reputation.”
It’s adhering to this same philosophy that contributes to Stephanie Gaither’s success. The resort park manager at Blue Licks State Resort Park in Carlisle, Gaither also points to the amount of word-of-mouth referrals for the success of the resort. “Listening is extremely important in the hospitality/service industry,” Gaither says. She credits her staff’s listening prowess for its impact on repeat business.

“They actively listen to guest requests, comments, feedback and concerns so we can continue to meet and exceed guest expectations.”

Attending to guest feedback has resulted in continually improving services, which in turn has led to customers “talking up” the park, which then has drawn even more visitors. “Rarely do we have a group in house that doesn’t produce additional bookings.”

Leadership involves keeping on top of the wishes of family, staff and customers and, as Abraham Lincoln once said, a willingness to “dare to do our duty as we understand it.”

For his duty to be carried out, Johnny Faulkner has to look to the people around him. “To be a leader,” he says, “you have to be able to learn, and the only way to learn is to listen.” As part of his role as an archaeological technician at the Stanton office of the Daniel Boone National Forest, Faulkner works to educate citizens about the archaeological and biological histories of the state.

In fact, he was recently named 2007 Interpreter of the Year by the Southern Region of the U.S. Forest Service for his leadership in the preparation and success of the Living Archaeology Weekend.

“You can’t do a good job as a leader if you don’t listen to gather the best information possible in order to make effective decisions,” says Mike Ridenour, vice president of public affairs at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in Frankfort.
He recommends “focused listening,” which he describes as listening with all your senses and listening to what isn’t being said. Then follow through on it.
“Listening opens the door,” Ridenour says, “but then you have to walk through it. For years we had been listening to the small-business owners in our membership complain that they were unable to comply with impossible and impractical business regulations. We realized there was no vehicle for the businesses to have input into legislature; we heard that loud and clear.”

This led to the development of a Web site that alerts Kentuckians to proposed regulations. Companies can register and request notification by topic or agency.
Research reveals that the average person disregards, forgets or misinterprets 75 percent of information heard. Leaders need to do better than that according to business gurus like Stephen Covey and Peter Drucker. Drucker touted not only listening to allies but soliciting the opinions of competitors as well, especially prior to making vital decisions.

However, because leaders are bombarded with thousands of messages every day, it makes taking note of everyone’s opinion nearly impossible. Leaders can’t attend to everything that comes down the pike due to the necessity of concentrating on those things that are most pressing or most crucial. One solution is to involve staff to be the eyes and ears of the leader or to find innovative ways to gather what clients, supporters and competition are saying so everyone can be heard.

Covey adds to the issue the necessity of leaders listening to themselves. Only in this way, he claims, can leaders identify their personal values and establish suitable goals.

Currently the media is saturated with stories of unethical activities of athletes, businesspeople and politicians. There has seldom been a greater need for professional honesty and ethical leadership. Those in charge must listen to their own consciences, knowing that ultimately the decisions that need to be made rest on their own shoulders. By tuning in to themselves they have a greater chance to bring success to their businesses, their families and themselves.

But it’s not simply listening that makes the difference, it’s really listening, according to Dan Metzger, president of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association in Lexington.

“Critical values that are essential in leadership include inclusiveness and collaboration,” Metzger says. “Through inclusiveness, one has the ability to lift people working with you, and when the decision-making process is transparent, people have a much stronger tendency to buy into it. With collaboration, you empower the individual and through communications and listening, one has a greater ability to understand the perspectives of others.”

In the end, good listening translates into gaining more clients, increasing income, and meeting the needs of a constantly changing business atmosphere.