Last week the discussion of communications brought several
emails and even more telephone calls with the opinions of people who believe
that we all need to improve our message. From emails to voicemail greetings,
from telephone conversations to correspondence, we need to do a better job of
expressing our ideas and thoughts in clear, concise means. We also need to
apply some imagination and be more creative.
We must stop selling whatever we have to offer and first
discover what the other person needs. We should begin building relationships
and networking partnerships that will result in better business for all
involved. We need to make others know that we really are grateful and
appreciative for whatever they do, both for us and for third parties.
We have to be products of whatever we offer, not just
telling others what to do, but doing it ourselves. We must lead by example, and
show others that Gratitude Marketing
can bring success beyond our wildest dreams. Our communications are the means
to tell our story, but also to show our corporate culture to others. We can
help ourselves, or we can shoot ourselves in our business heart.
We should begin to look at our communications as a vital part
of our marketing and devote a portion of our operating budget to marketing. If
we do the marketing correctly, and the sale falls into our laps. Just market
and stop selling, and don’t ever view communications as a sale action. The sale
is just the customer signing their name; marketing is everything else that
leads to that moment.
Review every email, voicemail greeting, brochures, flyers, and
all other types of communication for their content. Make them professional and
complete, and make them meaningful and truthful. We need to read or listen to
what we say as if we were the customer. We ought to have someone outside the
business tell us what is wrong with what we say, how we say it, or what the customer
reaction might be.
Stop the greeting that says, “Your call is very important to
us”, when the wait time is more than 30 seconds, or if no one will ever return
the call. If we state that calls may be recorded for training, use the
recordings (Are there any?) to realize that wait times are too long and service
representatives need better training to be inventive and creative.
Why do we spend money on our businesses, and then offend the
very people that we want to attract? No one wants to be sold; we want to be
educated and then make an intelligent decision. If we strive to confuse or
confound our audience, maybe we are not the professionals as which we want to
be seen. Our communications are the opportunity for us to shine; we should not
let our message reflect badly on our life’s work.