The art of listening according to The Spirit of 74: Ears

Among the 74 key words that we have chosen to best describe the passion for our work and which make up our now well-known book The Spirit of 74, there is one which you would never expect to find.

This word is “Ears”.

But what we are about to tell you proves how relevant and important this word is in our daily work.

This word, rather funny and seemingly far from all that which revolves around our work, is however at the base of the aims that our society has been able to achieve.
But that is not all: it is a concept around which every service we offer our customers revolves.

Maybe, if we substitute the word “Ears” with “Listen” it would immediately become clearer what we mean.

You must understand that the concept of listening – especially in our sector – is completely taken for granted.

There will certainly have been times in your life when you needed to change a piece of furniture in your home.
Try to imagine you need to substitute your sofa.

What happens almost everywhere, in the large-scale retailers as well as in important furnishing stores, is that you ask for what you need with a simple, direct phrase such as “I’d like to change my sofa. I would like a three-seater upholstered in grey fabric”.

And here you are, in most cases the sofa you are offered will not be the result of a careful analysis of your personal situation, your desires and the problems which have made this purchase necessary, but it is rather the solution from a catalogue which can be the answer to only the most superficial request. The same solution will probably be proposed to hundreds of other potential buyers who have completely different problems.

This example makes us face reality: listening means understanding, finding solutions, proposing the best answer which is often the exact opposite to what what we originally had in mind.

For us, listening to a customer means reassuring them that they are in the right place at the right time, with an expert who can understand what they are trying to tell us, what they desire for their home, who they want to spend time with in their home and what function every part of their furnishing scheme must have.

So listening is not just counting to ten, interrupting and offering solutions from a catalogue.

Listening is what makes the difference, together with a unique design proposal and a service which respects the real needs of each individual customer.

Is here a more important circumstance in a working relationship?
Probably not.

The BertO team has always taken time and effort to learn how to listen, to hear what is behind the actual words even after the initial moments and in the successive phases of analysis and problem-solving. They listen, especially and above all, when our customers have been enjoying the comfort of their BertO sofa for years.

There is also a more ample, more strategic way of listening.

It is that which, back in 1974, persuaded Carlo and Fioravante Berto to make certain choices, not least that of physically moving to the most important territory in the field of furnishing: Meda.

The Meda that we all know today as the global Design Capital, the town where interior design Made in Meda was created and where it has continued to grow, they understood that it was here that they should found their society, here that they should re-root their lives and here that they should base all their future projects: this too was the result of listening.

Listening to the market, listening to the prospects of development.

The fact that we are here today, with a book written in their honour and above all with a society which dedicates time and energy to “listening to the future” so as to better interpret the needs of our customers is sufficient proof of the quality of listening.

To celebrate this important trait that BertO’s founders handed down to us, these are the words we have chosen and which you will find on page 13 of the book Spirit of 74 – 74 key words to live happily your chosen profession:

Ears
Very underrated organs,
as opposed to the mouth,
always over-rated

The book The Spirit of 74 is not only the first book written by Filippo Berto, but it is also a true object of Design.
It has been reviewed in numerous Italian Design magazines including DDN in April 2020. See it here.

Ask for your copy of the book directly from our site here.

Realize your Design project for your home!
Ask now for your personalised consultation with one of BertO’s interior designers! Contact us at servizio.clienti@bertosalotti.it