Brands: Seek First To Understand

St. Francis included this petition in his famous prayer:

“O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be understood as to understand…”

Stephen Covey adapted that sentiment for his bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

Colleen Stanley makes a similar point: We may think we understand our customer’s problem. We may hasten to offer a solution, and explain it in great detail, taking pride in our expertise.
Alas, it’s all for naught if we have listened with the intent to reply, not to understand.
We have no credibility unless our customer believes we’ve heard and understood her.