August 6th, 2009
Directions
Include a set of general directions to your place of business and a MapQuest link to assist customers in finding your location. It is also helpful to have a picture of the front of your business, so customers will quickly recognize it when driving to your location.
Introduction to key team members
By having a friendly mini-biography of key people in your business, your prospective customers will feel more familiar and comfortable. People always prefer to do business with people they know, like, and trust. Why not take this spot to encourage that along?
Testimonials
Have true testimonials from other people who have done business with you. Social proof that communicates that you are a business that is honest, effective, fair, and professional is a better salesman than any other marketing tactic you can use.
APPEARANCE
The first impression is the most lasting impression. Your website should effectively communicate who you are as a business. Make sure that your website looks great. Ask for a lot of feedback before going live with it.
EASY TO REMEMBER WEB ADDRESS
Make the address one that is easily recalled. People retain information that is common in their regular communication. Underscores and dashes are more difficult to remember.
Using your web presence to initiate business communication with your clients can help you gain an effective edge over your competition, both locally and nationally. Investing time and money on making this presence as effective and professional as possible can make a sizable difference in the success of your business. For more info, visit, http://www.communicationessence.com
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July 23rd, 2009
If you are serious about being in business, you should develop a web presence for your business as soon as possible. That web presence does not necessarily have to sell your service or your product, but it should help convey to your prospects that you are serious, efficient, and professional. For your web presence to effectively communicate your business, several things should be taken into consideration.
USER FRIENDLY
Your website should be very easy to use. The menu should be visible from the very top portion of the page and be listed in order of the information that prospects will consider a priority. Making the website customer friendly is communicating that you care about their needs.
EASY TO SKIM
The paragraphs should be short and concise with easy to skim sub headings. Mark Twain once said, “I am sorry I have written you such a long letter. I did not have time to write a shorter one.” “Contact Us” page that includes all phone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses, etc. that a customer might require. By adding this information there, you will save your receptionist numerous phone calls.
Take the time to be write complete, effective, and concise information about your business. More will be read, understood, and retained from your website.
FORMATTING
Each item written should be formatted in such a way that the reader will not have to move his or her eyes across the entire page. By using the center third or quarter of the page, your site will seem less cluttered and overwhelming to the reader. Streamlined communication will let your client know that you can get right to business while meeting their needs.
CONTENT
Contact information - Make it easy for your customers to communicate with you. The name, address, and phone number of your business should be displayed on every page. “Contact Us” page that includes all phone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses, etc. that a customer might require. By adding this information there, you will save your receptionist numerous phone calls. For more info, please visit http://www.communicationessence.com
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July 13th, 2009
CULTURAL BARRIERS
Some conversational styles and lingo from one culture may seem offensive or abrasive or even annoying. It is important that you are aware of those cultural differences and not be overly sensitive to them when they come up in conversation.
For example, people from Maine will often refer to things that they think are impressive as being “wicked.” A person overly sensitive to evil things might be offended.
People from larger, fast paced cities might be short and abrupt in their speech, appearing rude to people from slower paced country towns, who might seem ignorant or ineffective to the city folks. Both groups should be sensitive to others.
EDUCATIONAL LEVELS
You should use a vocabulary that is in alignment with your audiences. Using uncommon “educated-sounding” words with someone who doesn’t understand them causes communication to be broken down. Do not use an uncommon word when a common one will do. The way you articulate yourself will demonstrate your intelligence – not your use of 25¢ words. The most intelligent of communicators is only a good communicator if everyone he speaks with understands what is being said.
Everyone is different. Understand it, accept the psychology of it, and celebrate it in all of your communication opportunities! For more info, please visit, http://www.communicationessence.com
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July 7th, 2009
In communication, we tend to expect people to understand what we mean based on the way we say it. We also tend to be overly sensitive to others who casually say things that seem inappropriate. Many of us have gone through sensitivity training to help understand racial, sexuality, and cultural barriers, but being sensitive to the different ways people communicate is of the utmost importance.
People are brought up in different homes, different cultures, different regions, with different values, and with different educational levels. When you are communicating, it is your responsibility to take each of these differences into consideration.
RACIAL SLURS
You may have been raised in an environment where it was common to classify certain people with racial nick names. Those particular groups may have had no problem with it, just as a Texan has no problem with people from Oregon calling them Texans. However, in most settings, especially business settings, it is never okay to use racial slurs even when teasing.
If you have a good friend who was from Poland and you both sit and swap Pollack jokes with each other, he may laugh. You may even be of Polish ancestry yourself, but in the presence of others, it may be considered extremely offensive and should be avoided.
RELIGIOUS REFERENCES
It is fine to talk about your beliefs where it fits appropriately in a conversation, but it is not okay to bad mouth other religions and other denominations regardless of your opinion of them. You do not have to embrace their theology or hide your own. Just don’t talk in a demeaning manner regarding other religions.
Keep in mind that every person with a belief has a reason for that belief. For the most part, no one that is passionate about their faith is convinced they are following an erred religious doctrine. If you truly care, then develop a relationship with that person, understand the foundation of his or her beliefs and then share the foundation of your own. Visit, http://www.communicationessence.com
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July 1st, 2009
3. BE RESPECTFUL OF THE OTHER PERSON’S TIME“title” of your message in the subject line will also help the person easily refer to the message and pull it up at a later date.“You’re the One That I Want,” you are not making a good impression. If you have cute ring tones, keep the phone on vibrate during all business activities.
When making phone calls or meeting someone in the workplace, always streamline communication by being quick and concise. Do not keep the person tied up talking about non-essential things even if they seem to be enjoying the conversation. You are keeping them from something, and they may just be being polite. If there is a person that you want to get to know more personally, exchange home phone numbers, or set up a lunch date.
4. E-MAIL COMMUNICATION ETIQUETTE
When writing an e-mail, ALWAYS put the true subject of the message in the subject line. Some people get hundreds of e-mails a day and you want them to be able to easily sort and prioritize the e-mail. Putting the
5. CELL PHONES
Fun ring tones in a personal setting are NOT appreciated in business. If your spouse calls while you are in a meeting and Olivia Newton John starts singing.
Also make sure that your voice mail message is short and professional. Call your cell provider to ask for instructions to remove the prerecorded caller instructions from your phone. People do not need them.
Taking the time to develop good business communication skills will pay off in loyal customers, more referrals, happier employees, satisfied employers, and ultimately more overall success. It is worth it! For more info, visit, http://www.communicationessence.com
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June 17th, 2009
Effective business communication can make the difference between success and failure. Making sure that you and all of your representatives are communicating to your customers, suppliers, prospects, and people in general should be a priority within your organization. It would be wise to have a communication protocol written up that is read and signed by each employee and then frequently reviewed by the company. Some of the elements that should be discussed are as follows.
1. KEEP IT POSITIVE
Problems within the company whether it is financial, relational, legal, or otherwise should not be discussed with outsiders at all. Telling even one person who is not even a prospect could cause bad publicity to spread like wildfire. If an employee badmouths a sales representative’s character, then that could affect the company by damaging the first impression.
If there is a specific trouble in the organization, such as legal or financial troubles or bad media attention, a special meeting should be held to instruct the employees on what communication methods they should use if asked questions in order to insure minimal damage control.
2. RETURN PHONE CALLS AND E-MAIL WITHIN EIGHT BUSINESS HOURS EVERY TIME
If you are too busy, then shoot the person a quick e-mail or phone call and say,
“Your call/e-mail is very important to me, but I am going to be excessively busy until ____. Is this something I can handle in a minute or two or can it wait until I am available?” It might be that they need a phone number, a date, or to simply give you a referral. Calling them back shows professionalism and courtesy that are essential to business success. Courteous phone communication is getting rare, so mastering it causes you to stand above the crowd! For more info, please visit: http://www.communicationessence.com
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May 14th, 2009
3. MIND YOUR MANNERS IN ALL COMMUNICATION
When making a request of anyone, whether it be your child, your boss, your employee, or a customer service representative, communicate your request politely. The word please can make all the difference in the attitude of the response.
If you are making a demand of someone, you can do it as either a tyrant or a leader.
A tyrant says, “Do this now!”
A leader says, “Will you please make sure you get this done right away? I need the (result) by (a certain time).”Or they can be expressed by a written thank you note or a public recognition. Showing gratitude is not only good manners, but it makes people WANT to do things for you.
A tyrant says, “Get me a report!”
A leader says, “Will you please bring the report to me?”
Right along with that, make sure that you always express gratitude. Gratitude can be expressed by a simple “thank you” or “I really appreciate that.”
4. HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY
Do not lie about anything or anyone. That’s so basic it shouldn’t be said. Some types of lies include:
exaggerations
fabrications
saying something is done when it is not
misrepresenting the truth
Just be honest and you will never have to remember what you said.
5. RETURN CALLS AND E-MAILS
No one should have to make two calls to get you to respond. You don’t have to inconvenience yourself, jut make a quick call and say, I’ve only got a minute, but I wanted to return your call. The same applies to e-mail.
These are just a few bad communication habits that should be consciously broken. There are many more, but this is enough to get you started. Please visit, http://www.communicationessence.com
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April 30th, 2009
This message may not be for you. There is a way to see if you should keep reading. Take the index and middle finger on your right hand and place them on your left wrist below the thumb. If you feel a rhythmic pulsation, then this message is for you. If not, then rest in peace, my friend.between the times that you need something, then it is very rude to get in touch with them at that time unless you are willing to go to them as any other customer would. If you are the type that doesn’t respond to their calls or e-mail communication and then want them to respond when you need something, then you seriously need to reevaluate your communication habits.
Seriously, by hanging onto these bad communication habits you can lose sales, relationships, opportunities, and more. Sometimes the consequence of bad communication habits are immediate, but other times it might take a while to realize the impact, and then it is too late.
1. NOT KEEPING IN CONTACT UNTIL YOU NEED SOMETHING
Can you imagine the life of a mechanic who only hears from “friends” when their car needs repaired and they want it done free or cheap? Can you imagine how it must feel to own a large company and only hear from certain friends when they are looking for a job? How would you feel if you only heard from friends that knew you could fix their current computer problem?
If you are not in regular personal, e-mail or phone communication with “friends” or “associates”
2. NOT FOLLOWING UP ON PROMISES OR RESULTS
If you tell someone that you are going to provide them with a resource or referral, then do it every single time. If someone has given you advice, a referral, or even prayed for you, then you should contact them and let them know how things turned out every time. For more info, visit, http://www.communicationessence.com
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April 24th, 2009
BE CAREFUL NOT TO HAVE A MONOLOGUE
When communicating with another person or group of people, if it is supposed to be a dialog, then make sure you are not turning it into a monologue. Even when giving a sales presentation, it is important to stop every few points to make sure that you have not lost your prospect. Sometimes, the prospect is ready to buy, but the salesman is still droning away about benefits that really aren’t important to the prospect at all. Business communication should always be done with the specific needs of the individual client attended to.
If you are telling a long story, stop every so often to let the person respond to a certain part, especially when you are on the phone. Have you ever told someone a story on the phone and then later referred to it only to find that they have little if any recollection of the facts of the story? You didn’t make sure they were still interested in hearing, and they got busy with other things and basically tuned you out.
It is always worth investing time and energy into learning more effective communication skills. There are books, audio programs, and seminars dedicated to this very purpose. Do not assume that you have it all down pat and don’t need help. The wisest person is a perpetual learner.
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April 16th, 2009
While the most important communication skill you can develop is great listening, sometimes you have got to be the speaker as well. When communicating your ideas, you have the responsibility to be purposeful and respectful of the other person or persons.
RECEPTIVE AUDIENCE
The first thing you want to insure is that you have a receptive audience. If the person you are speaking to is not ready to hear what you are saying, then you will be literally wasting your breath. You might be able to get them interested enough to pay attention eventually, but if they miss the beginning of your message, then they might miss some crucial points. If they have not received your message, then effective communication has not taken place.
Public speakers accomplish this by telling a couple of jokes or stories that segue into their topic. You can do this same basic thing by making a few small related points and gage the person’s response. Once they are giving you listening signals, then you can proceed with your most important topics.
KEEP IT INTERESTING
A person really trying to listen can become totally distracted if you do not keep their attention during communication. I’m sure you have had teachers or speakers that totally engaged you and others that bored you regardless of the subject. History teachers are a prime example. Some make history seem so boring that you wish you could shoot the forefathers. Others take the exact same story and make it engaging and relative.
By changing the tone of your voice, you help keep the other person’s attention.
Include the other person in your examples, so they can become part of the message.
Stopping occasionally to let the other person respond lets them have a chance to absorb each point of the message as you go.
Using hand gestures and animation, where appropriate, helps stimulate the visual person. For more info, visit, http://www.communicationessence.com
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