22Do You Listen to Me?
As soon as you start pitching your ears turn off and so does your buyer.
—Jeb Blount
Think about a time when you were trying to explain something to another person. Recall the moment, right in the middle of your story, that the other person held up a hand and said, “Stop! Could you just get to the point?” Consider how that made you feel—hurt, unappreciated, angry, enraged? Left with the feeling that the other person did not understand you?
How about the time you were trying to have a conversation with friends or family members and they kept looking down at their phones at incoming text messages or social media alerts. Remember how it made you want to rip the phones from their hands and smash them on the floor!
Have you ever been excited to tell your significant other about your day? You talked, but the person wasn't paying attention because he or she was watching TV, playing a video game, or typing away on a computer laptop?
“You're not even listening to me!” you complained in disgust. “I don't know why I even bother!” As your significant other replied with a “Huh?” while barely averting attention from the screen, did you feel more emotionally connected or in love with him or her in that moment?
You know the truth and so do I. When people don't listen to you, it makes you feel small, unappreciated, and unimportant. It damages emotional connections. Failure to listen is a direct route to a destroyed relationship.
Why People Don't Listen
Nothing builds ...
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