Have you ever called, and called, and called a prospect, never to get a return phone call? You’re not alone. I couldn’t even begin to number the amount of prospects that have lost out on a great product because they didn’t pick up their phone.
Wait. Maybe I lost out, because I didn’t find their communication currency. What I mean by communication currency is the medium that someone likes to communicate through.
For prospects, this could mean contacting them through phone, email, or snail mail. This could also mean that you may need to reach them through facebook, text, or twitter. Some people just don’t respond to phone calls, and others never check their email. There are still some clients who refuse to text or use social media. Amazingly enough, there are some people who only respond when I stop by their office!
Everyone has a means that they like to communicate through. Your job as a business owner is to find your clients communication style as quickly as you can, so you can move your prospect through your sales pipeline.
This may mean blasting a client with messages at every outlet that you have from the get-go. Even though you may think you are inundating them with the same content, they are actually only receiving it in 2 out of 6 communication vehicles.
Take reachmore’s founder, CJ McClanahan, for example. You will rarely catch him on social media, and you would almost never get a text response from him. If you stopped by the office, he’s either teaching or off-site with a client. No luck with a cold call. Sending an email will just get you sent to his VP of Business Development or trash folder. If you called him on the telephone before 8am, you might just catch him.
The same philosophy rings true when you are communicating with your employees. Don’t know if you’re communicating with a D, I, S, or C? Ask questions and use key phrases for all 4 styles until you have nailed exactly how someone would like to be communicated with.
The point of this blog is to encourage you to be flexible when communicating with prospects and employees. If you think that everyone receives information the same way that you do, you are sorely wrong, and will have the mediocre success if you continue to act as if they do.
Be flexible, and remember that people aren’t difficult, they’re just different!
Jamar Cobb-Dennard is the Vice-President of Business Development for reachmore, which provides leadership coaching for small business and executives. For more resources on business leadership, please visit http://blog.goreachmore.com.
