The following often happens in conversations and negotiations: We listen in order to be able to respond quickly and winningly, instead of working honestly to really understand our counterpart. A serious and all too casual lapse. If you want to win others over to your ideas in consulting, your offers in sales and your concepts in management, you MUST do more than just exchange facts and figures. We need to look behind the scenes and determine what interests are actually motivating the people we are talking to. This is why one of the guiding principles for successful communication and persuasion is: “It’s never about facts, it’s always about interests.”
As an example, here is the typical interest pyramid of a multi-layered company. Is it possible to separate them “in black and white”? Of course not! Interests can overlap and cover several levels. The presentation of interests in relation to the organizational structure gives us orientation and points of reference. Good partners always find out more details by talking to each other and are then also open to interests and wishes that were not even in sight or imaginable beforehand. Listen to understand! You can find exciting training courses – online and in person – for your communication work in consulting, sales and management on our website.