It’s great to have a huge vocabulary of industry-specific terms, acronyms, and buzzwords, but the greater value is making sure that your listener (your customer) understands exactly what you are saying. It is not always the business that has the best product or service that makes the sale, it is the salesperson or representative who can best convince the buyer of benefits and problem solutions with simple, easy-to-comprehend language.
Buyers Need to Understand
Buyers need and want to understand answers to questions and how a product or service can benefit them. They don’t want to feel inferior or uneducated when talking to someone about a potential purchase. Of course, sales representatives need to be well-informed about the product or service they sell, but there are correct and incorrect ways how to communicate important information.
Although customers of a particular product or service might be very well educated, this does not mean that they will necessarily understand what the salesperson is trying to communicate. Unless the customer has the same knowledge about a product or service, which most likely will not be the case the majority of the time, the best advice when trying to make a sale is to omit industry jargon and highly technical language. It’s great to be an expert, but trying to impress buyers with the language they don’t understand completely undermines the sales process.
Tips to Improve Business Communication
• Use fewer words rather than more words.
• Ask for clarification if asked a question that you don’t understand.
• Use complete words and phrases rather than using acronyms.
• Make your point using simple language rather than using business terminology.
• Forget about trying to speak like an expert, just speak on the same level as your customer.
• Translate buzzwords into a language your customer will understand.
• Engage the customer by asking questions and listening.
• Don’t overpower the conversation.
• Be prepared and knowledgeable about your customer (as much as possible) and their needs.
• Remember key points your customer brings up.
• Be honest and sincere with your comments and concerns for your customer.
Be the Best Conversationalist
People generally like to talk…especially when they are talking about themselves. This technique of communication can work wonders in your business. Ask questions so you can relate not only personally with a prospect or customer but can understand how you can best relate your company’s products and services to their needs and wants. Being the best conversationalist in business is not about monopolizing a conversation with specifications and reviews, but how back and forth dialogue can enhance the communication process and, ultimately, close a sale.
An Entire Company Culture
It’s great for the boss to understand good communication principles but when they are not passed down and communicated to all employees, those principles are lost. Good communications skills are not necessarily inherent in everyone’s personality, so they must be learned through practice and understanding.
Company-wide communication training regardless of the size of the business is just as important as other types of employee training. Although an employee might not be dealing directly with prospects or customers, communication within the business among employees is equally important and essential to maintaining efficient operations.
Make The Most of Every Opportunity
There are endless opportunities to practice the art and skills of effective communication whether with prospects, customers, vendors, co-workers, or business acquaintances. These encounters might be at your place of business, a networking event, or an industry conference. Regardless of the individual or setting, make communication work for your business by practicing the finer points of simple, yet effective, communication.
