Boost Your BUSINESS COMMUNICATION SKILLS With These 20 Tips

Every business will always need to communicate with its stakeholders, especially in the modern day and age of digital marketing. Effective communication is key when it comes to growing your business and ensuring good customer service. Follow these simple tips next time you head out to a customer meeting or interview new employees for the company.

Keep a record of past meetings

Keep records of all meetings that take place with your customers or prospective employees: Invoices, emails, text messages, etc – anything that can serve as evidence should be recorded for future reference.
It is also crucial that you note any important details or observations that took place in these meetings. This can prove to be very beneficial later on when the customer brings up the same points to you again. If a customer shows signs of frustration, jot it down and ask them if they are ok with you taking notes during the meeting.

Explain decisions in detail

Provide detailed explanations of why business decisions were made: Whether your customer is a large enterprise or small startup, they will always question your decision-making process, especially when there are changes being made. Any explanation you give should be honest, factual and without any excuses. But above all else, listen to what your customer has to say and try your best to deal with their concerns satisfactorily.

Ask for their input when making suggestions to improve their experience

Always ask your customer if they have any ideas regarding how to improve the quality of their experience with your business, or offer a suggestion. It is always best to ask for feedback on things that can be changed – such as product prices, new products and services being offered. This will give you a chance to see where there is room for improvement and learn about what other customers are interested in. By asking for feedback from your customers, you are also more likely to learn more about the type of person they are and where they prefer to be contacted from.

Work on developing a personal relationship with your customers

Start by building a rapport with your customer, in person or over the phone or email. Find out what their needs and expectations are and try to meet them without fail. We naturally like to be noticed, so if you can show that you are invested in the customer’s success, they will rally around you in the future.

Listen more than you speak

This goes for both listening to customers and speaking with your employees. If you want to be an effective communicator, you must make sure that you listen to what people are saying at all times. This means that as well as listening to yourself speak, it is also important to listen to your employees. They will often hear more in a conversation than what the person speaking wants them to hear – like where they are losing the sale, how they can sell more or how they can improve customer service.

Ask questions without being pushy

If you always ask your customers questions and never make any suggestions, no-one will ever know what they really need or want. Take the time to ask what their problems are, how they see your business helping their needs and any suggestions that they may have on how you can better serve them. If you offer suggestions to them, but only offer solutions that make things easier for yourself or your company, you are likely to miss out on better ideas and losing a sale altogether.

Ask permission before recording a call

Before you start recording an important phone call with an overseas customer, ask if it is okay with them first. This is a great way to keep clients happy as well as giving you something concrete when they do speak positively about your business later on – whether publicly or privately.

Remember to thank customers

Always keep track of your customers – and make sure to say thank you at the end of each conversation. This will not only boost your customer’s morale, but also that of your employees as they will gain a sense of satisfaction from knowing that they have been thanked for their efforts. This can also be very useful in the future if someone is ever in need of references when hiring for a job or seeking more work.

Don’t use profanity or excessive swearing in phone calls or emails

Choosing to swear, curse or call someone names will be viewed as very unprofessional in most work environments, by both employers and customers. This will make you look like a person who is not confident in their own abilities and also be seen as someone who could not hear what your customer really wanted to say.

Avoid lying about your company, products or services

If you are ever involved in any deceitful or fraudulent activities, and your customers find out about them, they will contact the police. This can cause a lot of problems for yourself and the business. Never lie about anything that affects your business in any way, both real and imagined. If you need to make up a story, keep it simple – such as “our last delivery was too heavy and we had to return it” – instead of saying something completely untrue.

If you can’t deliver on a promise, tell your customer as soon as possible

If you say that you are going to do something for someone and it is not possible for you to do so, make sure to get in touch with them immediately and let them know. This is especially the case when your customers have placed an order or given you a deadline for delivery. Even if it is completely out of your control, don’t make excuses – simply contact them (in person or by phone or email) and explain the situation. It will gain their trust if you handle this situation professionally.

Be confident when speaking to customers

A confident voice and a positive attitude will work well in most situations. In business, it is important to let the customer know that you are able to help them, but also explain why something cannot be done. For example: “I would love to give you a discount on your order, but I am afraid that I do not have the authority.” The best way to hold off any arguments is to remain as calm as possible, maintain your confidence and try not to get angry. The customer may become more agitated if they see that their demands are damaging your self-confidence or upsetting you if you lose your temper or show signs of weakness.

Avoid going overboard with jargon or slang

If you have to use an industry term, try to explain it as best as you can. If your employees are doing the explaining and they are speaking in jargon, make sure that they also explain what something means when speaking with a customer. Using these types of terms may seem like you are showing off, but it is unlikely to impress anyone. If you have any questions about which words should be used in writing or business talk, ask your accountant or business lawyer for advice.

Don’t use “sales speak”

This is the use of different words to exaggerate a product or service and create the impression that it is better than advertised. If there is enough research to go around, you should be able to give a set of facts and statistics behind your products or services and if you are overly confident with your “sales speak”, then it will not only sound fake, but also come across as false. Try to avoid selling yourself in this way.

Be aware of your body language – don’t converse with arms crossed

You are sending more than just a message through your words when you speak, so be conscious of how you hold yourself. For example: if you want to come across as confident, standing up straight and with your shoulders held back will be a strong sign of this. If you aren’t sure, get someone else in your company to observe how you interact with your clients and advice you on how to improve.

Give positive feedback when it is due

If a customer has conducted themselves in a professional manner or has been a great help to you or your business, let them know that you appreciate their efforts. This will build them up and make them feel good about themselves, but also improve their confidence and help you to get more of this sort of customer in the future.

Be wary of discussing other companies or competitors

If you are ever asked about your competitors, make sure to think before you speak. If you have worked with them in the past, stay away from talking about them – it will only come across as negative and insulting. If your customer has not dealt with anyone else, then you can explain how they are similar to or different from your business, but avoid saying anything that would make another company look bad. This will help to improve their opinion of your business and also make them feel positive about dealing with your company in the future.

Don’t bad-mouth your boss or colleagues

No matter what you think of them, it is considered very unprofessional to bad-mouth your boss or coworkers to customers. It will also cause damage to your self-respect and could also lead to a poor reputation for your company as a whole. Besides, if something does go wrong, it will be seen as you sending out messages that go against the company and not just the manager or other staffers. Even if you are asked about their behavior, just keep quiet and explain that they are trying their best but are under some pressure.

Be careful about discussing future plans

Even if you are certain about what your plans are for the future, it is a good idea to avoid explaining them to your customers and prospects. Why? These can easily change. No matter how confident you feel, there is no one who can accurately predict the future. A change in circumstances or a new opportunity could come up and if you have promised something that you can no longer deliver, it will leave a sour taste in their mouth as well as your own mind. So when in doubt, keep things simple.

Make sure to communicate with your customers at all times

Even if you are busy and extremely busy, it is important that you try to keep up regular communication with your clients. This will help them to feel like they are being listened to and taken care of, which in turn makes them more willing to do business with you again later on. Try not to skip out on these calls – schedule them into your diary or give yourself a reminder before each one. It might seem like an extra step, but it will be worth the time as it will mean that you have established a good relationship with your customer and can continue working together for future business.

These tips will help you to improve your business and your life in general. When you work with a holistic approach to business, you will be able to handle the stress that comes with it in a better and more positive way, allowing you to achieve more in all other areas of your life. You will also be able to work better with other people. So, get out there and make those changes.

But don’t forget
“No matter how busy you are, make time for your family and friends.”