I love reading a wide range of things, but especially scripture. I also read online magazines and articles about business. Today, I read the story of Samuel hearing God speak for the first time to him, while he was living with Eli. He heard someone calling his name as he lay down. Each time he got up and ran to Eli, saying, “Here I am,” and finally, on the third time, Eli realized it was the Lord speaking to Samuel. Eli told him that the Lord was speaking to him. He said if the Lord calls you again, Samuel, tell him, “Speak, Lord, for Thy servant is listening.”(I Sam 3:1-10 NASB) It made me consider how often or little are you (you & I) are listening? Listening to Him and to your audiences?
What Is Listening?
You know I love definitions, so here is one for listening:
“Listening
LibreTexts Social Sciences
is the process of receiving, interpreting, recalling, evaluating, and responding to verbal and nonverbal messages.”
Thy Servant Is Listening
As a Christian, I know my business was given to me by Him. I always pray for direction, wisdom, and discernment. I will tell you, however, that lately I feel hard of hearing. Otherwise, God is not speaking to me directly (outside of His Word and the Holy Spirit).
I’d rather be hard of hearing than have Him not speak to me at all. How about you? As a Believer, I trust His Word and His voice when He speaks to me within my soul through the Holy Spirit.
How Do I Know He Is Speaking To Me
There are a number of ways He speaks to us. He speaks to us through His Word, His Spirit, other Believers, and through that inner voice with the Holy Spirit’s confirmation.
Rereading the story of Samuel’s first hearing God’s voice, I was reminded of how many times He has truly spoken to me so clearly. And I had no doubt!
Times He Spoke To Me (Us)
There are a number of times when I know God has spoken to me. I’ll share a couple with you.
Leaving Life For School
When my husband felt the calling to go into ministry, I was fine with that – it was his life, not mine, right? I almost laugh out loud as I reread that last sentence now. It takes more than him; in the end, it took our entire family.
I still remember the day my husband came home and said, “We need to quit our jobs, leave our home, and I need to go to school full-time!” I was in shock for a few days. My first response was, “No way, we can’t do that, how will we live?” I joke and say that I often say, “No,” then pray. In this case, I spoke with our Pastor’s wife at the time, who really helped me.
On the day we had to send a registered letter giving notice of leaving our townhome, Eric and I met at the post office after work. We prayed and then sent it off. That very night, I still remember it well, because it was a Wednesday, and we were heading off to a prayer meeting at church when the phone rang just before we left. It was the Bible College offering us on-campus housing.
Before that day, they had told us nothing was available (and probably wouldn’t be, as it fills quickly). We stepped out in faith, however, and trusted God. He opened door after door for us, confirming every step of the way as we left for Bible College.
Years Ago, When I Wanted To Quit My Business
God has done this so often in our lives. Even years ago, when I was ready to quit my business, He stopped me. Nearly 15 years ago, He told me not to quit as I prayed and prayed about it. He reassured my heart, and I knew I was supposed to keep going. It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve learned so much and enjoyed many parts of the journey, especially helping others.
Hearing Him Today
So, today, why have I been struggling to hear Him clearly? Why can’t I decide if I should quit?
I am calling out to God, “Here I am, Lord, your servant is listening.” And I am not being told to change anything in my business.
[Of course, we all have sin in our lives to confess, so I’m not saying that He doesn’t show me what to confess.]
What I mean is that we are to keep doing the last thing He told us to do, and that was coaching, teaching, and speaking. Nothing has changed. Yet, traffic is down, client onboarding is down, as is our audience following.
I suppose I don’t quit because I still feel strongly about helping others and teaching others about online service businesses.
So, that put me in mind of listening. Am I listening to our audience(s)? Are you?
Are You Listening To Your Audience
The story of Samuel reminded me of listening to God. After I went through the process of questioning this, I was reminded of listening to our audience. Are you listening to the audience you have been entrusted with, right now?
That still small voice within me was saying, “Are you listening to your audience?” I thought I was. Truly, I did.
Then something shocked me back into paying more attention.
My husband resigned from the church we had been with for many years. This was not something we wanted, and it was a sudden but necessary decision. He did not have another ministry to go to, which also meant we did not have provisions for this either.
We were trusting God again. We were doing what God told us to do, although a shock to our system, we obeyed.
Why do I share this? Because sometimes when we have something happen in one part of our life, it can also affect us as a whole. So, this opened up my heart to listening more. Listening to what our audience is saying, listening to the people around us, and hearing their voices as well.
So, are you listening to your audience today?
Ways to Listen to Your Audience
As we discuss listening to your audience, I thought we should also talk about ways to do it. First, I want to share this great quote about listening with you:
“Effective listening seeks first to understand, then to be understood.”
As you look for ways to listen to your audience, remember to hear first and try to understand their views, needs, and voice before inserting your voice.
There are several ways to listen to your audience.
Social Media Channels
You can listen through your social media channels, first by creating engaging content for your audience. This, in turn, gives them opportunities to make comments on your social media posts.
Asking pertinent questions for today’s audience helps to get them to engage.
Email Marketing Replies
Another way to interact with your audience is through email marketing. If you send out regular emails (monthly, weekly, or more), you are giving your audience opportunities to reply (if you have an email address, they can reply to) to you.
Again, you should write content that will engage them or ask questions of them so they are willing to hit the reply button and talk to you directly.
Another way, via email marketing, is by having a good CTA (call to action) encouraging them to meet with you. Add a button that allows them to easily schedule a meeting with you.
In the meeting, remember to listen, so you can hear their struggles and how you can help them.
Surveys and Polls
Surveys and polls seem to be the most obvious way to get your audience’s opinions. This can be done anonymously, so they can answer without your knowledge of who is responding in the survey.
Polls can also be added to your social media (in most cases, the platform has an option for a poll). In a poll, give several options that you think will answer the question you are asking, as well as add the ‘other’ option for them to fill in.
Making Connections
Making connections is a slow process in getting the answers you need from your audience, but it can be one of the most effective tools. Direct messaging to connect with others online and scheduling times to meet will help you hear what is going on in their world without making assumptions. I readily admit that I hate DMs, but they can be very effective, especially if you are persistent.
Yes, it can also be a time-consuming process, but it is also rewarding.
Building Relationships
Lastly, building relationships is a really great way to know what is on your audience’s heart. Listening to those you build a relationship with is very rewarding. Just take the time to LISTEN.
Building relationships is the best marketing. I always say it comes back to building relationships in marketing.
Research Tools
Another way to listen to your audience, or find out what they are thinking, is through the use of tools for market research.
“To understand your audience, use a mix of free tools like Google Analytics, Google Trends, and social media insights to track behavior and identify trends.” – Google AI
Let’s not forget to also do competitor research. Utilizing social media to give you insights into what their audience is talking about, which in turn helps you IF you share the same audience.
Final Thoughts
You can do all of these, but if you do not listen to what your audience is saying, it will do you no good. Pay attention, close your mouth, and open your ears to hear. My husband loves to say, “God gave you two ears so you will listen twice as much as you talk.” That is a good rule to go by.
Tammy S. Durden is an award-winning business coach who specializes in helping women online service providers grow a business to fit their lifestyle rather than squeeze a life around their business.
She is also a thought leader, course creator, and speaker in the online service industry.
Tammy has established herself as an authority figure over the last 17 years while creating and growing several online service businesses.