Communication Style
“Tell me about a time when your communication
style influenced a decision.”
■“I was the key contact during the labor negotiations of a
contract dispute. As the leader of the negotiations in one
particular case I was able to let the opposing side know
that I heard its issues and that we were trying to accom-
plish a compromise. At the same time, we weren’t willing to
give in completely on some of the key points. Because they
saw that I was being open, they trusted me and talked to
me openly. In the end we were able to satisfy both sides.”
■“I am an experienced presenter and often make presenta-
tions to groups of major decision makers. There was a par-
ticular time that I spoke to key decision makers in a
multimillion dollar investment firm. By finding out what
their expectations and needs were in the beginning and
letting them know that I understood their expectations, I
was able to influence them to buy our entire system.”
■“I find the key to successful communications and sales is to
see the problem from the customer’s point of view. I had a
customer who did not think he needed my product. He
was only going to hear me out because he liked me. I
began by asking him about his business, and once I started
questioning him, I found out that he would benefit greatly
from the product. I spent almost four hours talking to him
about his business and what we could do for him. The
problem was that no one had taken the time to listen to
his needs. People just started selling to him. I ended up
with a good customer as a result of listening.”