Sales Professionals: Are You Making This Crucial Communication Error?

The person walked into an office to purchase a service. The department manager, who was behind the computer in the office,  gave her a business card and said, "Email me with the details and I'll get back to you."

What happened? The prospective customer, who had been ready to buy, took the card and did not send the e-mail.

The office manager, who had the power to act immediately, was not pro-active. She did not take the prospective customer's name and contact information, or give her the desired information on the spot. She sounded disinterested in having a prospective new customer.
Instead, she expected the prospective customer to put forth more effort (by sending an e-mail) to request the service. She did not consider the number of competitors for that service that the customer passed regularly, or the other distractions competing for the person's attention.

This scenario also happens in another, more common, way. When a customer calls into an office, if he reaches the wrong person, that employee can either switch him to the correct person or can ask the customer to call back. The first way is pro-active, and shows great customer service. The second (reactive) way can lose a customer, or get him frustrated. How is this handled in your organization? Do all employees know how to locate the correct employee's name and phone extension, and do they get training in how to switch callers to the correct extension?

Every customer interaction counts, and communication is vital to all of them. Make the customer feel wanted through efficient, pro-active communication and sales techniques - by all of your employees who have internal or external customers!

Business Speech Improvement provides communication coaching and concise e-books. Check out your options now!

Better Business Communication Day: January 26, 2015

Better Business Communication Day: January 26, 2015

Think about the last time you did business with a company and thought "That was pretty negative!" (For me, it was as recent as today.) What kind of experience do your internal or external customers have?

Better Business Communication Day is a day to focus on better communication. Here are three actions you can implement, either for yourself, to improve your skills, or for your organization.

Start with non-verbal communication. Smile at two people today as you walk down the hall. Give someone your undivided attention, away from laptops, etc, making him or her feel valued and really heard.

Answer the telephone enthusiastically, each and every time. When you smile as you say "hello", the smile alters your mouth shape and the different resonance pattern can be heard. 

You can make a contest out of this. In Japan, this is a national event, the All-Japan Telephone Answering Contest

Thank someone, preferably in writing, for something specific he or she has recently done for you. When was the last time you received such a specific thank you?  Make the note more powerful by e-mailing it to the person's supervisor, with a bcc: to the person.

If you have difficulty being clearly understood due to a strong accent, try speaking slower. Also write down the words that are hard for others to understand. See if you can use synonyms for them, if needed. An online dictionary with a pronunciation button could help you say the words.
Consider getting a "mystery shopper" to act as a prospective customer, and rate his or her experience with your company's communication. He would start by rating how positive the first telephone greeting of "hello" sounded, through dealing with any phone trees,  enthusiasm and listening skills of the sales staff to answer questions and take an order, to the final good-bye. Another option is to send a pretend order through the system, to see where the bottlenecks are in the process. Often these are due in part to poor communication. The results of this mystery shopping could be ear-opening!

Business Speech Improvement offers intensive, customized speech coaching for individuals and small groups. Use Better Business Communication Day to jump-start your communication improvement!

Small Talk: Keeping the Conversation Going

You're at your in-law's house, or the home of a friend of a friend. You want to be a great guest, but after 10 minutes, you have nothing to say. You'll be there for another 24 hours, so what can you do? The secret is to be a wonderful listener, and keep the host talking!

Here are 2.5 ways to keep talking - and maybe make a friendship stronger.

Ask your host about his hobbies. Decide you will learn 3 things about his hobby, whatever it is. (It might come in handy some day to know this information.) When your host stops talking, say "tell me more about ___",  or "that ___ sounds  fascinating!"  and nod appreciatively.

Ask follow-up questions. For example, "You said that you enjoy ___. How did you get into it/learn so much about it/find the time to do it?" You can also ask questions about the gear needed to do the hobby, or his favorite publications on this hobby. (This information may be useful if you buy him a gift later on.)

The .5 method is to use interjections liberally, complete with great eye contact and slightly leaning forward. Interjections are comments such as "mmm-hmm",  "wow, that's impressive!", "you don't say!" and "really?" With a great start to the conversation and a talkative host, this technique can keep a conversation going for a long time!

Business Speech Improvement offers more conversational tips for the conversationally-challenged  in the e-book Small Talk: Connecting with Others.

The three most important functions of an effective manager

In his excellent book, Quick and Nimble, author Adam Bryant reports on a fascinating study done by Google, called Project Oxygen. The purpose was to determine the most important actions of effective managers. They went through an extensive observation, rating and analytic process, and arrived at 3 top actions. Effective managers' most important attributes, they found, were calmness and taking the time for one on one meetings with employees, helping employees think through problems by asking questions, and caring about their employees' careers and lives.

Think about the best managers you have had, or employ. Do you agree or disagree with the conclusions of Project Oxygen? How do you assess your leaders in these vital skills?

Business Speech Improvement provides coaching in verbal skills, including communication skills for leadership development.

Using local expressions with non-local customers?

Using local expressions with non-local customers?

A luxury hotel asked for help because guests were confused by some interactions with staff members. The staff, such as room attendants and front desk staff, were using local expressions which the guests did not understand.

Examples were "mash the light" (meaning "turn out the light"), put it up (meaning "put it away),  "bless your heart" (which has different meanings depending on the situation and the speaker's tone of voice) and "turn at the red light" (meaning "turn at the light, regardless of whether it was red or green"). A manufacturing operation in another town had problems when staff used the expression, "I don't care to" (which meant there  that  "I'm happy to").

Local expressions are fine if your listener is local, and a native. Otherwise, the use of local expressions can be a communication impediment; listeners can be confused or misinterpret them. In situations where the listener is in pain or sick (such as medical facilities),  traveling , in a luxury facility (such as an upscale hotel) or otherwise stressed, the use of local expressions is not appropriate for conveying a professional message.

If your staff is using local expressions, the first thing to do is to compile a list of the local expressions and their intended meaning. Newcomers to the area can help you identify such as expressions as they will notice them more easily. Then write the standard English meaning next to each expression and explain to the staff that standard English needs to be used on the job with customers to get the message across clearly. So, get out your "ink pen" and start writing!

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training in verbal skills, and consults with businesses in many industries on improving communication skills.

Sales communication: impressive up-selling by thinking ahead

A hotel in Chicago is using some sophisticated techniques to simultaneously show concern for their guests' welfare and "up-sell". The Majestic Hotel sends confirmation e-mails to guests after they make their reservations. At the bottom of the e-mail is a list of options guests can choose to have ready for them when they arrive. The options range from a bottle of specific wines, milk and cookies at bed-time, or a fruit basket,  to a day-long transit pass, a picnic lunch of local delicacies, a bike rental, two hours in a kayak, or other options.

The hotel has clearly thought ahead about guests' frequent requests, and now is letting guests choose them before they arrive. This allows the hotel to more easily fill the requests, and gives them some extra profit as well.

When the guests arrive, in their rooms they find a refrigerator filled with common soft drinks and water, as well as a variety of snacks and even small toys related to the local tourist attraction. These are available on the "honor bar" system; the hotel maid notices what is gone, notes it as a charge on the bill, and refills the items daily when the room is cleaned.  Guests do not need to get dressed and leave their rooms to find a vending machine.

Another need of some guests is for a place to relax, read the newspaper and drink some tea or coffee.
These are available in a home-like "living room", where guests can chat with each other.

This same idea of thinking ahead about your customers' needs and meeting them before being asked could be used by astute business owners and managers in many fields.

 A human resources manager, for example, could think ahead of time of the many questions asked by new hires,  career development options in the organization and to a page on career pathways for employees.

A medical practice could remind patients of upcoming appointments, invite them to write down their health concerns,  and need for prescription referrals before the appointment,  answer the top 5 questions patients ask the staff about the latest health issue, or give ideas about how to stay healthy this season.

What options can you offer new customers or employees to up-sell them on your organization?

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training in many aspects of communication in business. They include communication techniques for leadership, accent modification, presentation skills and more. Seminars, individual coaching, and e-books are available.

Do you struggle to understand others with strongly accented speech on the telephone?

Do you answer telephones a lot at work and have trouble understanding people who have strong regional or foreign accents? Maybe you ask them to repeat themselves several times, and still can't understand, such as this Scottish man in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My40XgYEvLM. Or maybe the person at the other end has a hearing loss, and can't understand YOU! There are more effective methods you can use to get better results in many cases. A new pre-recorded webinar, Pardon Moi:The Art of Effective Listening, explains the problem and offers concrete strategies to improve comprehension on the telephone. One strategy is to ask people to repeat themselves - ONE time. Try these other techniques and see the difference! Frustrated prospects often don't buy. You can't afford that. Get this pre-recorded webinar and see the difference that professional telephone strategies make! Business Speech Improvement provides intensive coaching and products to help people communicate more effectively. Great speech makes business sense!

How to persuade, with one simple word

I recently received a long set of instructions to submit an item to a company. The instructions did not make much sense to me, as a consumer. Researchers know that one way to persuade people is to tell them a reason for taking a specific action. "You need to do this because _____" has been shown to increase people's willingness to take action. The reason chosen must be important to the specific listener. The next time you need to persuade someone, give a reason that will be meaningful to that person. For example, a young mother might welcome increased convenience, a teen might prefer decreased parental supervision, and a boss might be delighted by lower costs and higher output. "Because" is such a simple word, but it can have a powerful impact! Try using it...because it makes a real difference. Business Speech Improvement provides intensive coaching and concise e-books on many aspects of verbal communication.

Tips on understanding different dialects over the telephone

Here's a common scenario: someone calls you on the telephone and has a strong regional or foreign accent. You want to have a conversation, but his or her speech is hard to understand. Here are some ways to improve the communication. First, speak slightly slower yourself. This will subconsciously cue the other person to slow down, which gives you time to figure out what he or she said. Second, tell the other person if there is a specific word that you did not understand. For example, "What was the word you said after ___?" If you still do not understand, ask him to use another word for the confusing word. Another option is to ask for the word to be spelled, with key words, such as "b as in boy". If you get many calls that are hard to understand, on your outgoing message you can speak slowly yourself and give out your e-mail address. Some callers may be very relieved to get it! If nothing else works, ask for the message to be texted or e-mailed! Business Speech Improvement provides intensive coaching in verbal skills. Specialties include American English Pronunciation for Non-native Professionals, helping people learn ways to reduce their rate of speech, communication coaching for leadership development, and more.

Tips on how to stop interrupting others In the Presidential Debate last night, both candidates were interrupting others. While they probably did it out of frustration and to get their whole message before viewers in prime time, it created a negative backlash. Viewers found the interruptions to be disrespectful of each other. One viewer wondered if the debaters would also interrupt officials from other countries, for example. People with hearing loss often have trouble understanding two conversations occurring at once. Even those with normal hearing struggled at these times. In normal conversations, without the glare of television cameras and the lure of a huge audience, interrupting is still impolite. If you interrupt because you are worried you will forget what you are going to say, write down a few words about it. If you have no smart phone app for this, or pen and paper, use your finger to write the word on your thigh. This tactile feedback may help you remember what you wanted to say. Second, focus on what the other person is saying, not on your message. Wait 3 seconds after he stops speaking before you respond. This is especially helpful when on the telephone, where there is no visual image that could cue you the other person is about to speak again. Consider responding in writing, with an e-mail, text or letter, instead of in person. This gives you time to think about your message carefully. It may also allow the other person to feel like you really heard what he said. If you do interrupt by accident, apologize. Over time, you should make this error less and less. Business Speech Improvement provides communication skills coaching and e-books. Check out the options today!

A secret of extemporaneous speaking

According to one survey, more Americans fear public speaking than dying. Probably a major aspect of this fear is extemporaneous speaking, when one is asked to "just say a few words" without preparation. Accomplished speakers know many techniques to help them. One such method is to develop a framework for what could be said in many such situation. For example, use a chronological framework. What happened first, second, etc until today? What do you envision happening next, and the impact this will have? Let's assume you are asked to speak about the opening of a building or program. In just a few sentences, explain the origin of the project, some highlights (maybe dramatic ones) of the intervening time, and describe briefly where you are today. Talk about your vision of the future of this project or event, and end by enthusiastically thanking the many contributors (by name, if possible). Again, remember to be concise. As an unknown sage phrased it, "Be brief, be brilliant - and be seated!" More such techniques are in a short e-book, Public Speaking: You Can Do It!

A vital question

When doing employment interviewing (on either side of the table), a vital question often goes unasked. The question is "Is there anything else I should know?" The corollary to this from the interviewer to the candidate is "Is there anything else you want to ask?" Many times, the interviewer(s)have prepared a set of thoughtful questions - but there may be other issues on the candidate's mind. The candidate may be hesitant to ask them because he assumes the interview is over. If the interview is an exit interview, a question to be asked might be, "Is there anything else the company should know about the reasons you are leaving?" Candidates who are resigning may have other issues on their minds that could prevent others from leaving as well. Sales meetings should also ask this question. The purchaser may have had poor experiences with a competitor, but be hesitant to say something. Perhaps there was poor service, problems with billing, a product that did not meet the company's needs, or some other issue. Taking a moment to get the issue expressed can lead to additional discussion that can benefit both sides. A coaching or delegating situation can also benefit from this question. Asking it makes the other party aware that there may be additional factors to be considered. So, your question of the day is "Is there anything else I should know?" Digging a little deeper can yield better results! What are your favorite questions asked by leaders and others to make people think a little deeper? Business Speech Improvement provides training in executive presence and communication skills for leadership development! Individual coaching and small group seminars are offered in this and other topics!

Leadership: The power of observation

As a leader, do you practice what you preach to your employees?

Recently a person in a leadership-training program for upcoming managers commented that he went to his manager to apologize for making an error. The manager got furious at him for his minor mistake. The person, who had gone on his own initiative, left very upset. To make matters worse, the manager gave a lecture the next day to the leaders-in-training about how to motivate employees and correct them as needed - and the suggested approach was a gentle, encouraging one.

If you were that trainee, what would you have learned from this experience?

As a leader, you know your employees are constantly watching your body language and noting your tone of voice. If you sound angry, even if it is due to another matter entirely, word will be passed to your staff very quickly that you are upset and they should stay away from you if possible. People trust your actions and tone of voice much more than your words.

If you are not conveying your desired message, communication coaching is available. Business Speech Improvement provides training in communication for leaders, accent modification, presentation skills and much more!

Regional accents - and their impact

Many people report that having a strong regional accent, such as a strong New England, Midwestern, Southern or some other accent can impact their careers, even if they continue living in that part of the country. The reason is that they give presentations or make phone calls to people in other parts of the country, who may have trouble understanding them.

Have you had difficulty being understood or understanding someone else who has a strong regional accent? If so, what part of the country (and country) are you in? What did you have to do to communicate?

What kind of training would help in this case, if you were the speaker? Would you want regional accent modification alone, combined with customer service training or with public speaking training? Would you prefer it in person alone or in a group, in a webinar online (although you wouldn't get feedback), or in an e-book/mp3 file?

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive individual and group training, and e-books, on many topics related to communication.

Better Business Communication Day: Jan 23, 2012

Think about it; without communication, there cannot be business.
Buying, selling and related activities all require some type of spoken, written or gestural/signed communication.

Better Business Communication Day was started by Business Speech Improvement to highlight excellent business communication techniques.

Here are three tips for better communication. When answering your telephone, smile and speak slowly as you give your greeting. It helps the other person understand you better, especially if there is noise in the background, and calms any callers who might be upset. More importantly, it helps you sound professional.

If you are preparing a speech, start it with a surprising fact or a startling statistic, among other techniques. Get these from the Web. You have just thirty seconds to seize your audience's attention.

If you are proposing a new idea to a group, share it with some other members of the team for their feedback before discussing it with the group. The idea may be stronger and the others will back you in the discussion.


Business Speech Improvement, in Chattanooga TN, provides intensive seminars, individual coaching and e-books on many aspects of verbal communication.

Communicative competence, communicative confidence

That's a real tongue-twister, isn't it?

Can someone speak well and not feel confident about it? Why or why not? Can someone speak with poor clarity or have trouble choosing the right words to say, and feel great about it?

Does competence equal confidence? Share your opinion!

Business Speech Improvement provides training in many verbal communication skills for adults. More information can be found at www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com.

Body Language and Caring

Do you really care about your employees and your work? If the answer is "yes", would people know that by watching your body language? I recently took 4 flights. On three of them, the flight attendants routinely (and boringly) gave the safety instructions, but looked at the passengers when speaking. On the 4th flight, the attendant recited the correct talk but looked out the window or at her lap the entire time. She appeared not to even care about what she was saying. If she didn't care, why should we, the passengers?

As a manager or leader, your body language is closely studied by your employees to determine whether you are satisfied, in a good mood, or otherwise approachable. Are you conveying positive or negative body language?

Executive Communication Coaching is a one day intensive seminar to be taught in a rare Open Enrollment class May 12th. The deadline for enrollment is Tuesday, April 27. Learn more about body language, listening skills and other crucial skills today's leaders need! Enroll today at http://businessspeechimprovement.com/enabler/scripts/category.pl?Classes .

Executives: "Listen" with your eyes

When you observe your direct reports, do you notice both the verbal and non-verbal behaviors?
For example, you may have a direct report who says she is "fine", but she appears exhausted.
How do you handle the discrepancy between her verbal and non-verbal behavior?

Usually, when there is a difference between verbal and non-verbal behavior, the non-verbal behavior is more accurate. Simply, it is harder to lie with non-verbal behavior. Ask the employee how things are going. If she does not mention the reason for her exhaustion, be more direct.
"You seem exhausted. Are things going well at work for you, or is there a problem I should know about?" Then be quiet and listen...it may take some time before the employee states what is really on her mind.

Listening is a primary part of a manager's job. Learn more about how to listen well at the one day lively seminar on Executive Communication Coaching, on May 12th. Enroll before April 27th at http://businessspeechimprovement.com/enabler/scripts/category.pl?Classes.
Class size is limited, so enroll today!

Executive Communication: Asking Incisive Questions

Two essential skills for executives are the ability to listen well - to both what is and is not said - and to ask the right questions. These questions help analyze the problem, consider the resources, consider and choose the best solution.

Executives were asked about what questions they considered when asked to evaluate a new project. A list of the best ones, along with many other communication techniques,  appears in the e-book Executive Communication Strategies.

What are some of the best questions leaders have asked in your experience that proved crucial to problem-solving? Please share them with our readers!

Branding and Customer Service: A Tight Connection

Medical facilities spend a lot of money and effort on branding campaigns. Billboards, articles and the like all proclaim the superiority of their services. However, when staff contact prospective patients before their arrival, they apparently do not all have access to the patient's information, leading them to give varying answers to simple questions. The result is a confused impression in a patient's mind regarding staff's competency.

Branding needs to be carried over into customer service, so that everyone has information on a customer's record and documents a call for future use. Branding is not just a clever slogan; it should include leaving a solid impression of competency in a client's mind.