7 Steps to Effective Communication that Gets Results

Communication is everything in business and in all of our relationships. Honestly, how else would people communicate? In order to enjoy an agreeable business and personal discussion, the communication level has to be excellent. How does one communicate effectively? Simply put, say what you mean, say it clearly, and say it with respect.

Step 1: Establish Trust
Some people naturally distrust other people, because they do not know what the other one is thinking. Therefore, the sooner that you come out and say what you want, the sooner you can begin establishing trust. If you sense that someone is especially apprehensive, then you could go try and reassure him or her that you are not a threat. As you can guess, this doesn’t always work, so don’t waste time trying to change someone’s mind. Instead, continue being cordial and ethical and hope that your professionalism and consistency eventually wins them over – assuming you want to win them over. There are some you may not want as clients or even associates. In the financial services industry, Bill Bachrach has developed the only system I know of for building a high-trust client relationship. For more information, go to www.billbachrach.com.

Step 2: Speak Clearly and Concisely
Speaking clearly can sometimes be a problem since not everyone actually takes the time to improve in diction or word usage. If all you have to say is, “Blah,” don’t say “Blah, Blah.”

Step 3: Recognize Problems in Communication
What are some of the most common barriers in effective communication? For starters, there is language, or word usage. People can easily misinterpret or even distort a statement’s original meaning. It is wise to avoid saying anything questionable that might confuse a listener, or inadvertently provoke a negative reaction.

Step 4: Learn How to Use Tone and Body Language Together
In trying to improve your own communication, beware of a defensive posture or negative voice inflection. Make sure that you use a friendly and welcoming posture, with open arms and a smile. The misreading of body language and tone of voice is one of the most common problems in the breakdown of communication. Even if you are saying something agreeable, if you show physical signs to the contrary, your message and your honesty will come under suspicion.

Step 5: Never Assume Anything
Assumptions are another common problem, whether they are self-fulfilled assumptions or merely assuming that others see things in the exact same way that you do. Never assume—the fact of the matter is that most people do not see things they way that you do, nor do they have the same feelings as you do. The less you assume, the better.

Step 6: Recognize Communication Issues caused by Technology
Sometimes messages can be misunderstood because of cell phone static. Other technology based communication problems might result from lost phone messages or ambiguous email messages. Lastly, remember that this form of impersonal communication usually doesn’t allow for non-verbal clues, although virtual conferencing is an ever-increasing trend.

Step 7: Learn How to Talk Business
If you are trying to get someone to open up then try using open-ended questions rather than yes or no interrogations.

The more effective you can be with your communication the more successful you will be – personally and professionally. Communication can be extremely powerful in helping you or it can hurt you. Apply any or all of the seven steps mentioned above and set goals around enhancing your communication.

Creating a Client-Centered Business

What is a client-centered business anyway? A client-centered business is a rather vague idea, but one that focuses on the needs of a client, as opposed to a conventional business model. This isn’t a new concept. If you aren’t sure if you are totally client-centered or if you aren’t familiar with this concept, I think it is an important one to consider quickly implementing in your business.

Yes, there are some standards by which every business does try to live by, regardless of industry. The most important principle is that the company should provide a quality product or service at a fair price. There should be a high level of expertise involved in creating such a business, regardless of the market.

Create a Client-Centered Business
The most important prerequisite is that you research your market very well. Where do you get this information? You can learn it from books or you could consult marketing experts, and other successful business owners. However, don’t forget the most important source of input: the client. After all, this is a client-centered business. That means that you are concerned with accommodating your clients, not building a self-centered or profit-first business model. It will help your business tremendously to survey some potential clients whether from your own contacts or from other informational resources.

Use professionalism in confirming a business deal by finalizing all details (never leaving anything unclear) and by instilling the client with confidence. Be careful not to oversell your services, especially after a deal has been reached. Resist the urge to overcompensate after the deal takes place since this could make you look nervous or even inexperienced in their eyes.

Client-centered businesses are eager to negotiate and to adapt their plans to whatever the client needs. Remember this above all else. When you go with this business model you are in business for their benefit, and the more money they make (courtesy of your expertise), the more you will make.

Quit making excuses, get some accountability in your life to help you increase success

It has been said that a well-executed mediocre strategy is definitely more valuable than a great strategy that sits in a binder on a shelf. Unfortunately, studies have shown that organizational failure is primarily caused by the lack of execution – a lack of clarity on most important goals, vague key business indicators, and low levels of accountability.

When surveyed, a large number of business professionals say one main thing they want is accountability to help them grow their business. Accountability is available in many different forms depending on the level and amount of accountability you feel you need. Some require an investment and some don’t. Choose the method best for you. Pick one and get started. Stop getting ready to get ready and just pick one and implement that method to achieve greater success.

Go to the following page to help you get started. http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/bw/coaching.php

My husband, Bill, says: “Failing with an excuse – even a really good excuse – is not as good as succeeding.”

Leverage resources to help you find good support staff

Leverage relationships with your clients, friends, and associates to help you where you need help.

When talking with a coaching client one day, I was telling him how I sent an email to about a lot of people I know who might be able to refer me to someone who was looking for a job in a particular area. I told him how shocked I was at how many people responded with people they knew who were looking for a job in the area I needed help, and I received about 5 resumes within a few hours.

I was telling him this because he is looking for some good candidates to review for positions he has open. Instead of hiring someone to help him, I suggested he try this first and see what kind of response he gets.

Here’s a sample of what he sent:

We need your help. We are looking to hire 3 people and are reaching out to our clients and friends to see if you know of anyone you can recommend to us.

We are in need of a senior accountant who can gather facts and do work accurately. The individual must have a good understanding of federal and state taxes for individuals, partnerships, corporations, trusts, gift taxes, and private foundations. Accounting experience with small businesses is required. The individual should have a car to service clients in the NY Tri-State area.

Personal skills include:
- Be a good communicator
- Have excellent written and oral skills
- Someone who sees tasks through completion, leaving no loose ends
- Ability to work directly with clients, partners and staff
- Be able to work in high pressure environment during tax season
- Manage tasks to meet deadlines
- Be a “go to” person and leader for other staff
- Be proactive not reactive
- Professional skills include:
- Preparation & review of above tax returns
- Do tax research, analysis and develop solutions
- Tax consulting and planning for individuals and businesses
- Handle work for business clients: including bookkeeping on QuickBooks, bank reconciliations, prepare adjusting journal entries, work with bookkeeper at client’s office, discuss trial balance with business owner

- Computer skills in Excel, Word, Outlook, QuickBooks, BNA planning, Fastax
- CPE must be current and person must want additional CPE
- Familiarity with Multi-state taxation
- Able to respond to government correspondence
- Represent clients at government examination

The second position is that of an Administrative Assistant with superb communication and computer skills. Ability to stay organized while supporting multiple managers is important.

We are also looking for someone to assemble tax returns during tax season. This person does not have to have any tax or accounting experience. It is detailed and methodical work. We will train the individual on our process of getting the tax returns ready for delivery to the client. Hours are flexible, so this may be a good opportunity for a student, recent graduate or a person who wants to get back into the workforce.

Please contact us if you have any questions or someone to recommend.

They received over 30 calls and 40 resumes in 1 day. He was impressed with the quality of the people sending in their resumes. Within a few days he had received in excess of 53 resumes of potential candidates to fill these positions.

Think about how you can leverage your resources to help you obtain the right team for your firm, referrals, and finding professional services, or other things that you want or need.

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Consistently Produce Your Desired Results

What is the difference between effectiveness and efficiency? There are a variety of subtle differences as well as some basic ideas to consider. The definition of effective reads “producing a decided, decisive, or desired effect.” The word efficient is defined as “productive of desired effects and productive without waste.” In business the two terms tend to be used interchangeably.

Effectiveness vs. Efficiency
The efficient person may move rapidly, checking off things to do in a hurried fashion. After all, the motivation is to perform the job quickly and with minimal waste. This attitude, however, may not give the proper attention to details. There are many benefits to being an efficient thinker. Efficient thinkers are organized. They operate quickly and don’t have time for procrastination or laziness. They are on time and respect the company’s resources. In other words, efficient thinkers work well according to established systems. They take a robotic approach towards many situations, which is appreciated for certain tasks.

An effective thinker still wants the results, but focuses on getting results in the realm of their responsibilities. There is more of a personal touch when one strives to be effective. Clients and employees want the personal touch and want assurances that their money and their efforts are not all in vain. Very often these people need guidance, the specialty of an effective thinker. People skills come more naturally for an effective thinker than an efficient thinker. The efficient thinker is more concerned with the overall process, while the effective thinker empathizes with every person involved. In order to teach others effectively, you have to reach out to them and deliver that “human factor” that efficient systems don’t provide.

A proper balance of effectiveness and efficiency will be required in practically every avenue of life, from the work office, to the customer service desk to even the family unit. You want to effectively communicate and deliver a result, but you want to organize your activities so that you make the most of your time. Being effective and efficient allows you to be even more productive so you can get more done in less time and enjoy more time to do what you really want to do in your life.

2 Types of Distractions to Avoid

If you are working in an empty warehouse with powerful equipment and surrounded by tons of steel then distractions are probably not a major issue. The problem is that you are working in an office—perhaps even a home office—and distractions are affecting you on a daily basis. Distractions may cause you to miss deadlines, turn in lower quality work, or use up time that you really can’t afford to lose.

Distractions impact your success to some degree. If you give your market less attention, then that market will shrivel up. Ignoring the wishes of your clients will definitely affect your profit margins. Ignoring the quality of your work may betray your own objectives, ultimately killing your business. When you are aiming to be a professional, it is important to take all of your obligations seriously. So what can you do to minimize distractions around the home and office?

1. Electronic Distractions
Let’s start by focusing on the computer, one of the best and worst instruments of concentration and distraction. Close any computer windows that are not directly related to what you are working on in the moment. Do you have a habit of checking your email, surfing the internet, or reviewing your site statistics every few minutes? This is distracting. Not only does continually switching from one unrelated activity to another rob directly from your work time, it also robs you of your train of thought. It may take several minutes to get that high concentration level back.

Instant messaging programs are another concern. The more friends that you chat with, the more times you will be interrupted by your online friends who probably want to talk about silly things. (I.e. chit-chat, strange YouTube videos or upcoming movie trailers starring Vin Diesel) When you go “online” you are probably just asking for trouble. Try going invisible or perhaps even closing the program entirely. You can always check your email once or twice per day for a predetermined amount of time.

What about all the social networking sites, like Linkedin, Plaxo, Twitter, Facebook, etc. that are rapidly growing? Is this just one more way to distract you? Do you really want to spend your precious time hanging out on these sites, or would your time be better invested on generating revenue for your business, or working out to keep and stay fit and healthy? Now, this isn’t to say you can’t do business with these social websites. You have to decide which would have more of an impact on you achieving your goals sooner.

2. Active Distractions
The fact of the matter is that most electronic distractions are bad for productivity, while most active distractions could actually help. For starters, try to schedule frequent breaks, especially if you work on the computer. You need to take a break now and then, not only to rest your eyes and stretch your arms, but also to give your brain a much-needed “breather.” This refreshes your mind, lets your body relax, and lets you escape the glare of a computer screen for just a few precious moments.

Furthermore, it might help to take a break outside and exercise in some form. When you exercise, it stimulates your mind and body, even while providing a nice relief from constant concentration. You could lift weights, do pushups, go for a walk or even play a musical instrument. The important thing is that you are doing something active, the opposite of fully concentrating on a work activity. I have heard some people say that having a 10-15 minute break every 90 minutes has a positive effect on your productivity.