1 THE PATH TO UNDERSTANDING   You have just spent the last 45 minutes conducting an extensive battery of auditory tests on a patient. According to the test results, your 70-year-old patient has a bilateral, moderate to severe, sloping high-frequency hearing loss with above average word recognition ability in both quiet and noise, which is consistent with his history of workplace noise exposure. The combined results of immittance and bone conduction audiometry point to sensorineural hearing loss -- 2 THE SCIENCE OF SELLING   It's a Sunday afternoon in October and you have gathered with friends to enjoy the Green Bay Packers take on the Minnesota Vikings. The action is occurring on your new high-definition television. Aside from the battle taking place on the field, you are captivated by a commercial for Grain Belt beer. Your buddies want to know why you stop talking to them each time this commercial is aired. You're caught off guard by the question, not to mention a little embarrassed that -- 3 BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS NEEDED FOR SELLING   Communication skills are among the most important assets of the successful audiologist. Being a great listener and communicator are certainly hallmarks for any thriving medical professional regardless of their background or academic training. However, for the clinical audiologist working with the reluctant hearing-impaired patient, communication skills take on even greater importance. This chapter examines some of the essential communication skil.

4 THE DISCOVERY PROCESS   The first three chapters of this book provided a general overview of many of the prerequisites associated with consultative selling. The next two chapters are a deep dive into the essential moment-to-moment skills and tactics needed to conduct a thorough hearing aid evaluation that results in a buying decision. The discovery phase of the appointment ordinarily takes between 30 and 60 minutes to complete, and its singular goal is to build a personal relationship between -- 5 THE COMMITMENT PROCESS   Imagine you are thinking about purchasing a "big ticket" item, such as LASIK surgery, a new car, or a new computer for your office. You have seen a lot of advertising in the newspaper and on television. You have heard a mix of positive and negative information about the overall quality and "value" of the item in question. Last, you know you have several options to purchase this item or service. For whatever reason, you are finally motivated to act and you walk into a l -- 6 IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS DURING YOUR CAREER JOURNEY   Mission First People Always Goal Focused Always Adjusting The most successful consultative selling professionals have an intuitive knowledge of this axiom. Although they may not articulate it in these exact words, they know each of the four lines of this axiom are interconnected. The purpose of this chapter is to provide insights and share tools of practical importance that can be used throughout your career as an audiologist who happens to em.