As we climb the corporate hierarchy, it is more about managing, communicating, delegating and coordination.
Thus, whenever there is any hiring for senior levels or managerial levels, one of the primary skills that is considered, is communication.
No, it is not about how fluently you speak a language, but it is a lot more than that.
When dealing with clients, communication plays a key role. Communication has the power to completely make and break relationships. In the case of businesses, and managers communication skills are of utmost importance.
Communication is the most essential soft skill
Effective communication helps you to achieve your business goals and it is very necessary to have effective communication skills while speaking with your clients. If you don’t have good communication skills then it can hamper you in a lot of ways such as it can result in a productivity loss, spoiled professional relationship and can spoil your business once and for all.
Client communication needs discussions and transfer of knowledge that takes place between a service provider and seeker. It happens when there is a requirement for the fulfilment of a project. Effective client communication is very crucial as it will help the service provider to know in detail the demands of the service seeker so that they can fulfil the requirements that the service seeks demands. So, if you think that you need to improve your client communication skills, then here are some rules that you can follow.
Build an emotional connection with the client
Building an emotional connection is very necessary in order to clarify the client. This doesn’t mean that you have to participate in intellectual conversations with them, rather it means that you have to be aware of sentimental overtone.
When communicating with a client, do not start talks about the business right away. Ask your client how he is doing?
If the client has returned from vacation, ask him how his vacation is?
In case your client was sick – do not forget to enquire how he is doing?
It will help you to pick up on the deeper context of the communication and help you to prepare so that you can deal with emotional bursts and interpret the communication in a more human way. And ultimately, you will be able to manage the conversation and the relationship more healthily.
Keep the communication clear and concise
The purpose of keeping the communication clear and concise is to prevent any confusion while running a project. It will help you to manage client expectations healthily and prevent you to commit excessively or make false declarations from getting into the conversation. It is very easy to lose context while handling a large project and simple things can turn upside down. That is why giving extra effort to maintain context is very essential.
In case you have something negative to speak of, do mention it politely. If there is a need you can apologize too. Sentences like these are quite polite, even if you are refusing something.
“I would love to work more for you, but time is a problem”
“I am sorry, my budget will not allow it. Can you think about it again?”
“I hope we can work again in future”
Therefore, you must express your thoughts that can be easily digested, which means that you need to speak just the right number of words, not too much or too little.
Check your tone of speaking:
Maintaining your tone and voice is very important when talking to any client. This will show them how much you are confident and this will reflect on your work. If your tone is too much loose then your client might think that you have a lack of interest in their project. If it is too harsh, then they will think that you are being disrespectful.
Too strict will make it hard for them to communicate. Reuctance means they will think that you are not confident. That is why you must exhibit confidence, be sincere, use language in an unbiased manner and avoid accusing tones as this will allow you to have a smooth flow of conversation. It will also help you to build a strong rapport with the client and a strong relationship with them.
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Be a listener more than a speaker:
This is something that can be said as the most undervalued client communication skill. You must try to be an active listener because an active listener is known to be a keen communicator. If you be an active listener, you will be able to absorb the client’s instructions sharply while making fewer explanation errors. You will be able to ask the right questions, clarify your doubts very easily and understand the client accurately and this will help you to reduce the efforts in completing any client’s project.
Hence, maintaining all these above key rules will help you to improve your communication skills with any client and later on, it will be very beneficial for your business and yourself as well.
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