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Description

Active Listening in Customer Relations: Questioning, Reformulating and Uncovering the Real Need

Two days to stop pitching too early and discover what the client has not yet said

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

Salespeople believe they are listening. In reality they are waiting for their turn to present the offer and they interpret the client's opening words. The stated need is mistaken for the real need and an offer built beside the request later runs into unexpected objections.

These 14 hours of training focus on listening techniques applied to commercial relationships. Participants work on their questioning, their reformulation and their ability to receive disagreement. Practice covers discovery meetings, tense exchanges and the gathering of client dissatisfaction.

Learning objectives

  • Identify your own barriers to listening during a client meeting
  • Build progressive questioning that moves from context to need
  • Reformulate the client's words to verify your understanding
  • Receive dissatisfaction without immediately justifying yourself
  • Identify unstated needs from weak signals

What makes this programme different

Discovery meetings role-played and analysed against each participant's actual speaking time
Dedicated work on silences and on the temptation to fill the gap
Dissatisfaction-handling simulations conducted without any argumentation

Programme

1Barriers to Listening

What prevents you from hearing the client

  • Interpretation and projection onto the client's words
  • Respective speaking time during a client meeting
  • Effect of sales targets on the quality of listening
  • Recognising your own automatic reactions

2Questioning

Getting the client to talk without interrogating

  • Question types and the effects they produce on the client
  • Moving from context through to business stakes
  • Questions that make a vague request more precise
  • Using silence after a question

3Reformulation and Validation

Verify rather than assume

  • Forms of reformulation and their respective uses
  • Validating the need before making any proposal
  • Reusing the exact words chosen by the client
  • Shared summary at the close of the discovery meeting

4Listening Under Pressure

Hearing dissatisfaction without defending yourself

  • Receiving a complaint and suspending justification
  • Distinguishing between facts and the emotion expressed
  • Questions that make a general reproach specific
  • Rebuilding the relationship after a difficult exchange

Who is it for

Sales representatives, account managers, advisers and client-facing technical staff who wish to strengthen the quality of their listening.

Prerequisites

Regular contact with clients.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.