It’s time to talk – Sharon Williams DIRECT Magazine

In a fast paced multi-channel world are we so lost in the methods that we have forgotten how to effectively communicate and build relationships? Sharon Williams offers tips on how to bring back good old-fashioned service.

New marketing technology is welcome. Social media is now mainstream and smart phones are the way of the future for nimble and flexible marketing and sales campaigns. However, with each great technological advance and a continuing pressure for our time and attention, are we losing focus on what we are trying to achieve through these communication tools? Is it true, we get so lost in the methods, the means and using each platform to tick a box that we forget the purpose is about building relationships, doing business, building brands and making sales? Have we lost common sense?

Take the phone as an example. When was the last time a friend picked up the phone to see how you were rather than communicating by email, or Facebook or text? Look around your office, are your staff using the phone appropriately or defaulting to email to communicate?

We have a saying in the office—use email to confirm the order. Use the phone to secure one. If you want to build relationships—pick up the phone.

Back to the old days and old ways—it is rare to get good old-fashioned courtesy phone calls. I am always happy to receive a call from my hairdresser, accountant or any other supplier to make sure I’m up to date on the latest news, offers or plain reminders. A hand written letter must be the ultimate.

Is good old-fashioned service alive and well in your business? A quick checklist helps:

• What kind of work have you been offering or delivering of late?
• Is there more opportunity to up or cross sell?
• How much more could have been achieved by calling rather than sending emails?
• Count the number of phone conversations that are taking place
• Are phone calls an irritation and interruption?
• How can we be more personal and offer a better service?

With so many communication channels vying for our time and attention, it’s easy to forget to stop and think how clients (and how you and I) like to be approached.

I am a big believer in checklists and calling customers before they are due to place their order. The most successful business mentors say ‘routine sets you free’. Think McDonald’s service “would you like fries with that”. It doesn’t hurt to put old fashioned service into systems and checklists to boost customer service. Calling your clients should be part of this.

Top tips on how to incorporate more effective communication into your daily routine.

Speak don’t email

Email is very convenient and also very lazy. Before you hit send, stop and think if the information you are writing would be better served or communicated through a phone call. Are you asking a question? Is it urgent? Call them up. You will almost certainly get things resolved quicker. At Taurus we are focusing on our professional phone manner, making sure that our clients really feel respected and valued. I’ll talk more about this below, but proper phone manners go a long way in your company positioning and in the success of your sale.

10 before 10

This is something that we’ve honed here at Taurus. Make sure you or your sales team have made contact with 10 clients before 10am. Why before 10am? Because, more often than not, it means you will be the first person your client has spoken to that day. Get in there first. Take and up sell the order. Demonstrate you are on-the-ball with their portfolio and know what they need.

Polite, personalised and professional

Make a note of the little things about your clients. Showing you care beyond selling them a product will go a long way. Be customer focused; building relationships is always of the highest importance—it will benefit your bottom-line if you stop seeing your clients as an end to a means. When you speak to clients be aware of your language, what you are saying and the subtext. We have banned phrases such as, ‘no worries,’ or ‘no problems,’—why bring worries to the forefront when there aren’t any?

What are the drivers?

Ask yourself what you want to achieve, and what your clients want to achieve. If you don’t understand the business drivers, how can you hope to fulfil them? The best tactic is to be straightforward and ask the obvious questions. So often overlooked in business dealings.

Every marketing and sales team should be working to build and maintain relationships at the vanguard of every conversation. What does your checklist look like for old-fashioned service?

Sharon Williams is CEO of PR, marketing, social media and creative agency Taurus Marketing. Follow her on twitter@SharonWilliams_.