Tim Mushey – Would You Shut Up Already?
I love to talk. I used to talk anyone’s ear off who would listen to my long-winded babble!
The best man at my wedding described me to a “T” in 2005:
“Tim is like a remote control. All you have to do is say hello to him and he is off to the races. He changes topics quickly liked changing channels on a remote control.”
But I had to change. I had to change big time! People in business and personal lives don’t want to hear you blow hot air all day. They want to be engaged and get talking. They want to talk about themselves and feel like others are really listening to them!
That was me for the longest time. I still struggle with this every day. But I am getting better, and certainly focus on others taking the lead in conversations now with my open-ended questions.
Every time I get off track I think of Frank Tyger’s fabulous quote,
“Be a good listener. Your ears will never get you in trouble.”
Posted on July 2, 2013, in Building Relationships, Networking, Sales and tagged Business, Frank Tyger, Listening, Sales Tips, Sales Training, Tim Mushey, Wordpress. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
Sell, Lead, Succeed! 
Thank you for this honest account of your loquaciousness and how it gets you into trouble. Short and sweet…probably not your natural style, but I liked it.
Thanks Bob! Glad you liked the post! Hope all is well and you are enjoying your summer.
Tim,
I’m cut from the same cloth. Being quiet is something I find very difficult. I love to engage, debate, discuss, everything under the sun.
I have been learning to listen. just bought a new roll of duct tape. It has come in very handy!
Cheers,
Marc
Hey Marc! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Yeah listening more and “duct taping” my mouth is something that I have to work on every day. Most people want to talk about themselves and not listen to us babble! Appreciate you taking the time to stop by and give your perspective…
So funny, in my baby picture I’m holding a toy phone and being the youngest of four boys I often spoke on top of people, had to retrain my brain to engage customers by asking questions and then “shut up and sell.” They tell you all you need to know to properly service them. Good post!
That is a great story Rob! Appreciate the note. You bet that customers tell you all that you need to know. Telling them everything that we know and not listening to them is a huge mistake in modern selling situations. Thanks again!
Tim, I know this lesson all to well. Nice to have company and to have victory over this habit 🙂