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Listening requires concentration and patience.

So let’s try a simple test:
Read these two sentences aloud. Which do you think is correct?

(a) The yolk of an egg is white.
(b) The yolk of an egg are white.

If you get it right, congratulations, you are an excellent listener!
If you get it wrong, you’ve got some practicing to do. The answer is at the foot of the page.

1. Make listening enjoyable by taking a sincere interest in what your customers are saying. Force your mind not to wander.
2. Don’t ever assume that you know what your customer is about to say, because this will break your concentration and you won’t listen attentively.
3. Don’t simply listen to what your customer is saying (in one ear and out the other). Understand it and take it in. This is the only way you can satisfy a customer need.
4. Make your customer the most important thing on your mind.
5. Listening, especially when you want to talk or you are distracted, is very difficult. Learn to restrain yourself.
6. Always keep eye contact with your customer, look for facial expressions and listen for voice inflection. Often, actions speak louder than words. A professional learns to listen with his eyes.
7. If you write down pertinent information fraom your customer it will help you to listen more attentively and remember what was said.
8. Don’t always take what your customer says at face value. Question your customer’s statements.
9. Don’t interrupt a customer, or cut him short, unless he is being negative.
10. Remember, customers love to talk, especially about themselves. The more they talk, the more comfortable they feel, and the more they will open up to you. Everyone loves a good listener, so listen.
     

(The answer is neither. The yolk of an egg is yellow not white)