Sales success depends
on communication
When it comes to sales and business, we all have good days and bad days. And, there tends to be a belief that the sales process is out of our control. But, is it really?
It is actually possible to increase the number of good days as a result of something we initiate.
The key is realizing that communication effectiveness rests on your shoulders, not on the listener's shoulders.
Therefore, we need to learn as many strategies as possible to communicate better in order to adapt accordingly. And, research indicates that the best communicators are also the best sales professionals and business owners.
A number of factors contribute to being an effective communicator. The list includes a sincere desire to help people, the natural ability to think on one's feet, an agility to adapt to the situation at hand, and, most important, the belief that all communication success rests solely on the communicator, not pushing that responsibility on the listener.
If the people you're communicating with aren't listening, it's your job to discover a new way to attract their attention.
The best communication training I ever received was when I was a social worker. I had the job of motivating people with developmental disabilities to be competitively employed. During these times, I discovered several things.
>> The client would "act-out" and show his frustration anytime he felt he wasn't truly being listened to.
>> Once I showed that I understood how the client was feeling -- by describing what I observed or was feeling myself -- the client would almost always calm down a notch. That was my open door to begin the communication process.
>> I realized that by dropping any ego or frustration that I might be experiencing as a result of the hostile environment, the client's frustration and tone would also drop; it would slowly begin to match my mood and energy level.
Once you realize that you have the power to set the tone and energy level, that's when you'll realize you are more in control of the situation than the customer might think.
Communication breakdowns happen for two main reasons:
>> Failure to notice that the message isn't getting across because the communicator is too focused on him or herself.
>> Failure to repeat what was successful in one situation in order to duplicate a similar result in a different situation.
Facts that will help you become a more effective communicator include:
>> You have many choices for responding to people in different situations.
>> Patterns of effective communication can be used by anyone in the business of selling or persuading.
>> You are guaranteed to get better results once you study and implement the different patterns of communication that work for different types of people.
Learning the different patterns that different people prefer is the key to better results in business and in life.
Deborah Cole Micek
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
John-Paul Micek is the lead business coach at RPM Success Group Inc. Reach him at
JPM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.
Deborah Cole Micek, chief executive officer of RPM Success Group, is a business success coach and life strategist. Reach her at
DCM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.