There are a ton of reasons you might fail to make a sale, but the most frequent culprit is ineffective communication. Let’s face it – we have all come out of a sales pitch or meeting feeling like we could have been more convincing, like we could have generated more interest and excitement about our product or service.

ABA draws on two decades of experience and bespoke data driven techniques to help you bring your communication game to the next level. It provides you with the practical tools, skills and insights that will let you reap the benefits of effective business communication. 

While technical skills and domain knowledge are important prerequisites for professional success, effective business communication lets you maximize the fruits of your labor. According to a study carried out by LinkedIn, the most significant skill gap on the labor market today is in communication. 

Hypercommunication has degraded our ability to concentrate. A Microsoft study found that the average attention span had dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to a mere 8 seconds in 2015. To have your message heard and to form meaningful relationships, sales, or business opportunities, it is essential for you to be a skilled business communicator.

Effective business communication requires 

• Attentive Listening (being willing to give your thoughtful and complete attention to what someone else is saying)
• Empathy 
• Confidence
• The ability to offer useful feedback at the correct time. 

As with any other skill, the more you work at it, the better you will become. So what are the main benefits of effective business communication? We will explore how ABA will let you be that star communicator you can be.

Painting a Clear Picture – Direction and Clarity

Wouldn’t it be great to get your point across clearly the first time, every time? Once you make a conscious effort to communicate clearly and precisely, you will see a drastic reduction of needless back and forth emails, meetings and phone calls. The world’s best communicators are direct and unambiguous, and can say the most with the fewest words.  

To quote Oliver Wendell Holmes “Speak clearly, if you speak at all; carve every word before you let it fall”. Why is this so important? Clear communication provides direction, lets you deliver well defined objectives, and ensures mutually understood expectations. 

Direction and clarity of communication is what drives understanding & effective action. Unclear, ambiguous or flaky communication increases the potential for misunderstandings that can lead to unnecessary tension and conflict, and a dent in your bottom line. 

Being on the Same Page Increases Engagement

When people immediately understand what you are saying, and the reason behind it, you will have control of the conversation and the outcomes therein. If this does not happen, there is no end to the unwanted tangents it can get lost in. Knowing how to share your vision with others increases emotional engagement and lets clients see the value that you provide. Just imagine how many more sales this would lead to. 

Managers & Business Owners – Getting the Best Out of Staff

When you communicate effectively you come across as more accessible. As a result, you can develop stronger personal connections and be more engaging. Effective communication does a lot more than just making sure that information is transmitted and received accurately. People will want to interact and engage with you more once they have a full understanding of what you are saying, and that you’re giving your full attention  to them with an intention to understand. 

This rings true on many scales, from one on one communication to communicating with larger teams. Boosting engagement makes for a more enjoyable working environment where everyone feels heard and validated. Having open channels of honest communication lets you understand what motivates your clients and gives valuable insights into their wants and goals. The same goes for your employees- allowing you to recognise skills and talents early and put them to good use as soon as possible.

Communicate to Innovate

Ever wonder how Google releases 350 new products each year? They encourage their employees to devote a fifth of their time to side projects. Many valuable google apps started out as employee passion projects and even april fool’s day pranks. Google provides their people with a steady foundation from which they can experiment and think outside the box. When innovation is sewn into the fabric of a company, exciting and profitable things happen.

A great leader understands and effectively communicates the business value of innovation. They also cultivate an environment where everyone feels like they have the power to speak up and make suggestions. It is easier to step outside your comfort zone and do something new  when you feel that you are being heard, appreciated, and understood. Creating an atmosphere of intentional listening and understanding opens the doors to an uninhibited exchange of ideas and game changing innovation. 

Communication for Team Loyalty

When you hire the unicorn employee, you desperately want to keep them. This rare breed drives sales, productivity and takes the burden off of you. It’s someone you would feel lost without. Yet, the average staff turnover rate in Australia is at around 10% per year. So if your company has 100 employees, you will have to source, onboard and train ten new people every single year. 

The cost of turnover is often underappreciated. Some studies predict that replacing an employee costs, on average, nine salaries. Even more detrimental to a business, sourcing and training a replacement takes time. Time that you could spend making more sales and growing your business. While there are many factors that contribute to high staff turnover, inadequate communication is often the root cause. 

It is hard to develop commitment to a job if you lack communication with your peers or managers and feel like you are not being heard. Conversely, loyalty is given when you feel your voice is valued and you are always part of the conversation. Loyalty not only means that your employees won’t jump ship, but that they will want to take ownership and be proud of their work. When you practice open and effective communication, potential problems can be caught early and addressed with a cool head.   

Higher Productivity – Work Smarter

How much time do you waste looking for info or double handling when people don’t get instructions correctly the first time? Now imagine this multiplied by every client and employee. That’s a lot of wasted time. What if this time was instead going toward generating outcomes? Where would you be?

So what can you do about it?nbsp; Effective communication means taking more time to devise your message, consider all angles and provide the data necessary for people to kick goals the first time. Yes, it can be frustrating to take 10 seconds instead of 5, but the value is kick ass. 

This type of tenacity translates to clearer, more rounded communication in business. Take the time to cover just one more angel in your presentation, so it doesn’t require an email chain of questions and answers. How much productive time would this save? Clearly communicated goals and milestones also boost productivity. Truly understanding what you are working towards and how to get there raises both motivation and effectiveness. 

Effective communication opens the doors to effective teaching. At ABA, we often work with business owners that see rapid increases in profitability simply by making improvements in their ability to give focused, clear instructions. They already have the staff, clients and contracts in place, but improving their effectiveness/efficiency by 20% can happen in just a few weeks of concentrated effort. 

Build Better Relationships

Building trust with someone is impossible without open communication. Learning how to communicate effectively lets you build stronger and more meaningful relationships. Being completely present and open in a conversation sends a message of respect and goes a long way towards building rapport. 

• Listening without passing judgment or rushing to give advice builds trust and creates a comfortable environment for the free exchange of ideas.
  
• How you interact with people outside of your business can also pay dividends.
  
• Networking at a corporate event, emailing prospective clients, or writing content for your website or personal profile – all of these activities can benefit from effective communication. 

ABA has helped hundreds of business professionals like yourself fine tune their business communication skills. Our combination of success predictor profiling, advanced data analysis, realistic goal setting techniques and personalized coaching sessions will put you on the path to a more successful you. Connecting with one of our corporate business coaches for a free discovery session is all it takes to find a sales development solution that is just right for you. 

Mike Irving