Have you ever thought that the people who make all the money have something that you don't? Maybe there's a secret you don't know about or a special skill-set you weren't born with?
That actually isn't why some people make all the money and others don't.
It's usually narrowed down to 2 reasons.
1. Effective Communication
2. Work Ethic
If you work harder than the average person and you learn to be an above average communicator, you will get above average results. Let's break down the communication side a little more.
Effective Communication
The dictionary says communication is, “the imparting or exchanging of information or news.” Most people I come across do not exhibit good communication skills.
I actually had this problem as well before finally realizing the importance of communication in business. I could talk to friends and family no problem, but when it came to business, I was shooting myself in the foot without actually realizing it by not using good habits in my communicating.
Most peoples' communication problems can be summed up in 3 parts: lack of communication, the speed at which you communicate and the clarity of your communication.
Going Deeper Into Communication:
1. Lack Of Communication – Many people don't communicate often if at all and yet wonder why they make no money with their business.
If you're skipping meetings, blowing off phone calls, or not responding to messages or emails, that is considered a lack of communication.
It's bad for business relationships and makes you look bad if you practice this. Trust me, I had this problem for a long time.
2. Speed Of Communication – How fast do you respond to people who try to contact you? If you have someone interested in your services or asking you a question via email, and you wait 3 days to email them back, that is considered slow communication.
If you get back to them the same day, it is fast communication. Think about when you send people messages or have questions.
If you're impatient like me, you would get irritated by always waiting half a week to hear back from people right? Remember that when you conduct your business.
A general rule to follow, is to get back to people within 24 hours no matter what.
3. Communicating Clearly – Answer questions in a way that people understand what you mean. Learn to communicate exactly what you want people to do and answer all of their questions without creating confusion.
All it takes is a little practice. One thing I've noticed is people love to follow the “good guys” in the industry they're associated with.
The leaders that have that “good guy” reputation tend to make themselves available when team members or interested people need them. Think about this…
Would you want to work with someone that didn't return your phone calls or email you back half the time? It would be frustrating right?
A lot of business decisions are based on trust or emotion. People don't trust doing business with people who communicate poorly. And people don't get excited about working with people who ignore them.
It has the opposite effect and could make you broke if you don't fix it.
Here's a few great tips to follow if you want to be a better communicator:
- Respond to people within 24 hours like I said before. People don't like waiting and it boosts their perception of you if you get back with them quickly.
- Always be communicating with people. Practice makes perfect and it will help you build great relationships and a better business.
- Don't ignore people. No matter how annoying or irritating they may be, always respond back.You're the good guy remember? You're not like the others.
- Take notes when messaging talking to people so you remember where you left off and you can better follow up with them.
- Over-communicating never hurts. When giving people a task to do or responding to someone, be very thorough and don't leave anything out.
Conclusion
It's ridiculous how much talent people waste by not doing the simple things in their business like working hard and communicating.Read how to separate business and personal Facebook relationships here.
You can't turn leads into sales without emailing. You can't tell people about what you do if you don't message back. You can't build good relationships and make great business deals if you don't communicate with others.
It's a part of business and a part of life that people really need to get good at to see any of the results they want. If you aren't working hard and communicating effectively, don't even think about complaining about your results.