Sales Training – Communicating Effectively
So much technology, how should we communicate?
The art of getting the message across effectively is a vital part of being successful, whether you are a sales person, a manager or a business owner. Whether you want to make a presentation with confidence or close a sale communicating clearly and confidently will help you get the result you need. Communicating is not just about making sure someone understands you when you talk to them it is about ensuring the content of the communication is relevant, it’s about how the communication is delivered, for example is it delivered as an order or as a request and it’s also about which tools are appropriate to deliver the communication.
Being Effective
Effective communication (and therefore effective business) hinges on people understanding your meaning, and replying in terms that move the exchange forward – preferably in the direction you would like it to go. Communicating is always a two way process. In management, you communicate to get things done, pass on and obtain information, reach decisions, achieve joint understanding and develop relationships; in sales, you communicate to find out about your customers needs, you explain the choices they have, you reach agreement suitable to both parties and you confirm the contract.
Recognising Barriers
There are always at least two parties involved in any communication, each of whom may have different wants, needs and attitudes. These wants and needs can present barriers if they conflict with those of the other party and such barriers may stop you conveying or receiving the right message. Any communciation must overcome such barriers if it is to be successful and the first step is to recognise that they exist. Breaking down barriers is one of the first steps towards good communication. Here are one or two things to keep in mind:
- Facing the person you are talking to shows you are not afraid to listen to what is said.
- Tilting your head slightly shows you are listening.
- Look the other person in the eye lets them know they have your undivided attention.
- Break down barriers by adopting the other person’s pose and actions.
- Always, always make sure your cell phone is switched off, if it isn’t apologise if it goes off, silence it and ignore it.
Achieving Clarity
The three rules that govern good communication are all associated with clarity:
- Be clear in your own mind about what you want to communicate.
- Deliver the message succinctly.
- Ensure that the message has been clearly and correctly understood.
Good communication means saying what you mean and fully comprehending any feedback.
Choosing a Method
It is essential when communicating a message that you give serious thought to the medium you choose. For many this choice is between the spoken and the written word. If you decide that you want speed and convenience, you may well choose speech as the best form of communication. Alternatively you may want something more permanent and orderly – a typed document, for example, will attract a more considered reply. Electronic media have generated more possibilities by creating a hybrid form of speech and writing. Thus emails have the speed and the informality of speech yet they are in letter form and can be filed. The purpose of the message will dictate which method you use, some of the methods to think about may be (and the list is certainly not definitive!)
- Email – ideal for speed with the ability to be saved and filed.
- Letter – ideal if a more formal approach is required (documents that require signatures) or for sending invoices.
- Website – Ideal for getting one or many specific messages to your chosen market place.
- Video – A very powerful way of communicating to mass audiences using internet sites like YouTube; ideal for getting more visually detailed messages to the market place.
- Presentations - delivered in person is a great way to communicate your message with a more personal touch allowing your audience to clarify the message instantly.
There is a lot more to communicating that what I have written here, but if you can get these basics right it will go a long way to helping you in both your career and your personal life. My training module on Communication is based around fun practical exercise that really hits these points home, the module is designed so that it wont last longer than one hour, ensuring it will not disrupt the average small businesses working day.
Please feel free to contact me regarding this course or other courses that I run.
