Loading ...During these times of reflection and change caused by the global crisis we are all experiencing, I find the topic of listening to be extremely relevant. My approach is to see what can be learned from it, starting with the basic theories of modern management. I think this is essential, if we are to deal with the current economic situation.
For management guru Peter Drucker, the mission of any company is to obtain, and keep, customers. Easy to say, but to achieve this vital objective, a company first has to identify its potential customers and then win their loyalty – something that is far from simple to do. As we will see, this process is based on listening.
In order to identify potential consumers, a company needs to know how to focus on what society is communicating, through its lifestyles, trends (current or future) and weaknesses. Traditionally, a company’s Marketing department is responsible for this task. The second step is the responsibility of Sales, whose hands-on experience allows them to identify and interpret the specific needs and wants of each potential client. It is then up to Marketing to convert these signals into precise directions for product development, and transmit them to the R&D department, whose staff have a delicate, complex task. They have to generate ideas that can be transformed into projects, combining creativity with financial, technological and temporal limitations. To find their way through this jungle, the ability to listen is again key. In this case, it takes the form of brainstorming, where the team uncritically considers all the ideas – even the most bizarre – expressed by each member, until a popular winner emerges. At this point the Production department comes into play, is asked to listen to the proposals put forward by Marketing and R&D, and then has to make itself heard when setting out its own terms and conditions. Production limitations are often critical for the success of the new product, which might, at this point, see the light of day.
Is that the end of the road? Of course not. Since time has elapsed since the start of the process, the potential customer we talked to at the outset might now have different requirements. Or another competitor might have got there first. Or the initial ideas might have been thrown off course by problems encountered along the way. At this point, we find ourselves with a product that no longer matches the expectations of our potential customer. The people responsible for resolving this mismatch are the sales team. If they are good at their jobs, they’ll be able to use the Socratic art of maieutics and win the prospective client’s support for their proposals. How? By using a clever series of questions and answers, once again based on the ability to listen.
This time we really have reached the end of the road. It is an opportunity to remember that selling and using the maieutic method successfully is not only the task of a company’s sales force. We are all responsible for using this approach, no matter what our roles, in order to obtain approval, finance, or trust – in our professional or personal lives.
The meaning of colour evolves in parallel with culture.Colour has always been with us and has been, and will always be, one of the great unsolved mysteries.All I do is take away colour to get to the light.Last photo
Headline & EditorialLast Issue: #29 What's your colour? Red creates energy, blue inspires calm. Yellow evokes or reflec... More in Photo | AuthorsPeter LorenzPeter Lorenz has two degrees in architecture, one from Innsbruck University (1975) and one from Veni... More in Authors | Headline
Headline & EditorialLast Issue: #29 What's your colour? Red creates energy, blue inspires calm. Yellow evokes or reflec... More in Headline |
