Over the coming months, we’re exploring the commercial behaviours that win and grow work amongst technical experts. Last month, we focused on personal impact in meetings, because once you’re in the room, how you show up determines what happens next.
This month, we move one step further into the conversation…listening.
It’s a skill that is widely acknowledged as important in professional services, yet in practice it is often inconsistently applied. Many professionals don’t struggle with hearing what is being said, but with listening in a way that demonstrates to the client they have understood and interpreted what has been said and genuinely moves the conversation forward.
For technically strong individuals in particular, there is often a natural instinct to contribute, and in this instance we mean talk! There is often a misconception that to add value, demonstrate knowledge, and provide direction you need to speak up, and of course that is true, at the appropriate time.
The professionals who consistently shape opportunities tend to approach this differently. They treat listening not as a passive activity, but as a deliberate commercial skill. Because what you hear, and what you choose to explore, directly influences the direction and quality of the conversation.
Across the firms we work with, those who listen most effectively tend to exhibit a number of consistent behaviours.
They take time to explore beyond the initial answer. When a client describes a situation, it is often only part of the picture. There could be underlying pressures, constraints, or competing priorities that are not immediately visible. Less experienced professionals may accept the first response and move on, whereas more competent listeners tend to pause and probe further. Not in a way that feels like you are interrogating the client, but in a way that demonstrates curiosity and intent to understand. It is often in that second layer of conversation where the most valuable commercial insight sits.
They also pay attention to what is not being said. Clients do not always articulate challenges directly. Language and tone may change, issues may be framed as symptoms rather than causes, or certain topics may be avoided altogether. The ability to notice hesitation/avoidance, ambiguity or inconsistency can significantly deepen understanding. This is particularly important in complex environments, whether legal, technical or strategic, where the most important issue is not always the one that is most clearly expressed. It is your job as the technical expert to listen and pick up on what isn’t being said and to carefully bring it to the surface.
Another common characteristic is the ability to resist the urge to solve too quickly…’the Professional Pounce’! This is one of the more challenging aspects of listening for technically capable professionals. The moment a problem is identified, there is often a strong instinct to provide an answer and demonstrate expertise.
This is often compounded by what is known as the ‘curse of knowledge’. We have been there, seen it, done it before, and that experience can lead us to assume we already understand the situation. The risk is that we stop exploring too early, and miss what is different about this client, at this time, in this context.
However, moving into solution mode too early can result in addressing only part of the issue and subsequently missing out on other opportunities that may arise throughout the conversation. The outcome may be technically correct, but commercially incomplete. If we are able to consciously ‘park’ our knowledge and remain curious for a little longer, two things tend to happen: we learn more, and the client feels properly heard.
Clients do not gain confidence simply because you have an answer. They gain confidence when they feel fully understood. That requires creating enough space for them to articulate what really matters, which is not always immediate or obvious. An easy win is to play back to the client your interpretation and understanding of the conversation and ensure you have picked up on everything.
This is where listening connects directly back to personal impact. The professionals who create the strongest impression in meetings are not necessarily those who contribute the most, but those who make the client feel most understood.
For leadership teams, listening is often assumed to be an inherent capability rather than a skill that needs to be developed. In reality, it is heavily influenced by habit and environment. Time pressure, the desire to appear knowledgeable, and the need to keep conversations moving can all reduce the quality of listening, even among experienced professionals. Organisations that invest in developing this capability tend to see a noticeable improvement in the quality of client conversations. Discussions become more insightful, opportunities are identified earlier, and relationships develop with greater depth and resilience.
At an individual level, it can be helpful to reflect on how you approach conversations. Are you listening to understand, or primarily to respond? Do you take the time to explore beyond the first answer? Are you comfortable allowing silence and pauses in order to give the client space to think? And ultimately, do you think you client feels heard, or simply advised? These are relatively small behavioural shifts, but over time they create a meaningful commercial advantage.
Next month, we will build on this further by exploring how to structure business development conversations. Because once you have listened effectively, the next step is to translate that understanding into a conversation that creates clarity, direction and momentum.
If this has prompted you to reflect on how you listen in client conversations, or the expectations you set within your team, then it has served its purpose. Commercial advantage is gained through small, consistent behaviours, applied over time.
Until next time, Gary
We are a business development consultancy which is passionate about helping our clients develop processes, skills and behaviours that will result in increased sales and improved margins. 
