Welcome to the Loyalty Factor Information Exchange, a bi-weekly service providing summaries of major publications and books on various management and customer relationship topics. 

 Loyalty Factor has been instrumental in helping companies:

• Increase Customer Satisfaction by 20 – 33%
• Increase Revenues by 50% in 18 months
• Increase Manufacturing Production by 200% in 18 months
• Simplifying mergers and acquisitions

 Our information exchange this week highlights the book, “Power Listening: Mastering the Most Critical Business Skill of All ” by Bernard Ferrari.

Listening requires more than opening your ears. In his new book for business managers, Power Listening: Mastering the Most Critical Business Skill of All, Bernard Ferrari proffers advice on smart conversation habits.

Here are five to try:

1. Show Respect: “The easiest way to do this is to clue into the person you’re talking to about the purpose of the conversation,” says Ferrari. “Say something like ‘I really need your opinion on this’ or ‘You know, talking to you always helps my thinking.’ Doing so not only informs the person of your agenda, it shows that you respect her, trust her opinion, and are eager to hear what she has to say.”
    
2. Listen To Everyone: “Talk to not only the people who are closest to you, but also to customers, suppliers, and competitors. A conversation doesn’t have to be immediately productive to be useful or important. Good managers gather information from every interaction and are able to store what may be pertinent later.”
    
3. Be Quiet: “Businesspeople are trained in one-way communication. They become pros at speaking, presenting, and pitching. But it’s hard to listen when you’re talking. Aim to let your conversation partner speak 80 percent of the time. Really focus on what he’s saying and process the information. Maximize your 20 percent with thoughtful interaction.”
    
4. Understand Emotions: “It’s difficult to have a conversation when you’re angry, upset, or frightened. Avoid having important discussions when you’re experiencing these emotions. Understanding yourself and knowing when you should be out of the game is essential.”
    
5. Ask Questions: “As a good listener, you can actually help people bring forward new facts, think in new ways, reach conclusions, and come up with better ideas. This happens by asking questions. Always phrase an interruption as a query rather than a comment, even if you disagree with the speaker. Question marks show openness, flexibility, and interest.”

Power listening is critical to your success as a leader. Dianne Durkin’s program, Building Rapport, Respect and Credibility, delves deeper into these concepts of communication.

Call Loyalty Factor today to improve your communication and gain credibility with your employees that will translate into increased revenue.

The way to become the kind of leader people want to follow is to keep learning & growing!

We look forward to providing topics of interest to you throughout the year
that will benefit you in further developing your communication and leadership skills!

‘Tis the Season!

As we close 2011, we hope this has been a successful year for you.

We also hope 2012 will be a year when you build stronger businesses,

healthier bottom lines and increased productivity,

remembering we are here to help you achieve your goals. 

We’d like to take this opportunity to wish you the joy of family,

the wealth of good friends, the security of strong business relationships

and wisdom in all that you approach.

Happy Holidays!

Enjoy this time with friends and family,

and may your coming year be all that you wish!