Successfully communicating in business: An application of time and effort
Communicating in business and doing it well starts literally and metaphorically by doing one thing—picking up the phone.
A fair share of my day is taken up by making calls. Now, some of these are introductions, others are follow-ups with candidates, while some are simply updating clients on the status and progress of their search; the best calls are when I get to solidify a placement and confirm the acceptance of an offer. However, getting to that pivotal moment isn’t easy. It takes persistence and it takes a lot of work.
Being comfortable engaging the unknown
A fair amount of people I know and talk to find conversations on the phone uncomfortable—even with individuals they know. This is true in their personal lives and in business. Calling someone you have never had a previous relationship or contact with is never ideal, but like other aspects of it, communicating in business requires some risk to reap greater rewards.
Always choose the personal over the impersonal
Making that phone call, introducing yourself and stating a purpose for the call is a direct and engaged path towards beginning a conversation that could yield mutual benefit. It shows you’re committed because you’re willing to be told no in a personal way.
How many times have you received a message that you ignored because you assumed it was spam, or you did open it and it lacked any character, depth or personalization? It isn’t easy to convey precise meaning or context when writing a short email. Communicating in business through phone calls or in-person meetings is automatically more meaningful because human beings can assimilate far more information from a meeting, phone call or teleconference than from your typical detached email.
It only starts with the first call
Really communicating in business is about doing what’s necessary not to simply close, but to form a relationship that is long-term and mutually beneficial. You are essentially creating and tending fertile ground that benefits your industry as a whole. You have to take the steps, do the work, make the connections—and have the patience to watch your figurative garden grow.
You have to see every potential and established professional relationship as being exceptionally valuable, as an investment to continually monitor, protect and take every step possible to move closer to. It takes a lot of time and energy but that’s how every system in nature and in business works. You can’t get until you give.
I know this might seem like common sense, but sometimes we have to be reminded that you can’t get something for nothing and you absolutely cannot get those beneficial, career-spanning and career-defining bonds by putting in the minimal amount of effort.
At The James Allen Companies, we have worked in the insurance industry since day one. We believe what we deliver is defined by experience, consistency and a commitment to repeat business.