Actively Listen to Understand a Problem: You work in the customer service department of a software manufacturer. You have already received a number of complaints regarding a product designed to help young people make their own home video productions. Now you are about to meet with a waiting customer who has had problems trying to use the product with his son. You are a bit annoyed in that you sus- pect that this guy either does not have the sufficient hardware capacity or is not using the product correctly, which is usually the case. What traps or barriers could get in the way of really listening to this customer? What type of active listening would be warranted herewhat strategies would you use? This could be a good chance to gather information that would be very useful to your marketing group. How do you make sure you engage this customer and truly listen and consider his perspective?

The Elevator Pitch: Making Your Case in a Very Short Time: You manage a team of writers for the local newspaper. Your staff is hard working and very willing to put in long hours to make deadlines, but they have to work with electronic equipment that is outdated and commonly crashes. While you recognize that other departments at the paper do similar work and have similar needs, you feel your team needs a little more than their standard allocation for upgrades in this years budget. You mention this problem in a meeting with your boss, and she replies, Well, your timing is perfect. Im on my way to a budget meeting upstairs on the 18th floor. Why dont you take the elevator with me and give me what I need to present to the budget committee, and Ill see if I can convince them to increase your allocation.What key strategies should you follow in creating and delivering your pitch? Are there any must-dos you should con- sider if you want to be persuasive? What common mistakes should you try to avoid?