We Manage Communication

Just prior to the Covid lockdown in March of 2020, I was at a cocktail reception and had the good fortune of meeting the newly appointed Chairman of the Board of my company. After exchanging some pleasantries he asked me what I do for the company. I told him I work in the sales group, but what I do is manage communication.

That's right, I manage communication.

What does that mean, exactly? We all communicate everyday. What's so hard or special about that? If you look at the basic communication process, you have a sender and a receiver. The message must be crafted (encoded) by the sender, sent via a channel, then (decoded) understood by the receiver. However often the channel contains noise which may and often does affect what the receiver gets (or doesn't get, as the case may be).

What I want to discuss here is the channel and the noise in that channel. This is the point in the process where I think most sales people spend the least amount of time, and I also believe that this is where most of our challenges and problems occur. We often assume that our message gets delivered to the receiver, and that it was also understood. This is where we make our first mistake, and left unchecked, it will insure that you spend 100% more of your time on a steady stream of ambiguous e-mails, time delays, phone calls that never get returned, and an escalating sense of frustration and irritation - and that's just within your own company! Now filter in the fact that the exact same thing is happening with your client and his/her stakeholders and the end result is that you may have already lost the sale before your first presentation. We've never had more communication technologies and tools available to us than we do today, and we've never had less time to respond to any of them.

So, what to do? E-mail has become the junk-mail de jour, and few people are answering their phones, so how do we get someone's attention when they have 200+ e-mails in their in-box, a day full of meetings, and are also on a deadline for a big project?

Channel

Letter. E-Mail. Instant Message. Text Message. Phone Call. Physical visit. Which is best? Of course, it depends. Here are some best practice suggestions:

Within your own company

*?E-mail?is fine for the initial request. Keep it brief - one paragraph - bullet points if possible. Make sure you have a clear message on the action(s) you expect, and when you need that action done. Be VERY careful who you cc on this and resist the temptation to cc 'the world'. DO make sure the?Subject Line?is VERY specific to what you need. Many times this will determine if the e-mail is even opened.

*?Instant Messaging?- if your colleagues are not using it, figure out how to get them to use it. This is a great way to 'remind' someone that you need a response to a request. It's also a great way to clear up quick questions. Often colleagues in meetings can respond to an IM. Employ assistants to help you get someone's attention. Assistants tend to use IM often. They can often physically go over and get the attention of the person you need to speak with.

*?Phone Calls?- If there is clearly confusion over what you are requesting, nothing is more effective than a 5 minute phone call. It will save each of you many unnecessary and frustrating e-mails that are already clogging an overflowing in-box. Pick up the phone and actually talk to this person.

*?In Person Meeting?- For those of us who work remotely this can be done by phone - For a large, complex and ongoing project - I recommend getting a 'Standing Meeting' on the stakeholders calendar. This could be once a week for 30 minutes, or every other week - maybe once a month. Determine what's best, and do it. This insures that you will always have an opportunity to talk through any questions, status updates, and confusion. If the meeting isn't needed, simply cancel it for that one time and everyone gets a gift of 30 extra minutes dropped into their day.

With your client

* E-Mail -?This is good for lining up appointments and quick check in's, or sending information. The most important thing to pay attention to here is the?Subject Line. Make sure it describes exactly what you want them to respond to. As a vendor, your e-mail will always go to the bottom of the priority list.

* Letter -?This is always the best way to send a proposal. This way they can take it with them and read it anywhere. It also removes it from their overflowing e-mail/smart phone in-box which will likely get buried by other priorities. I like to send 'Thank You' notes as well. This will set you apart from every other sales person sending 'thank you' emails.

* Text Message?- This is tricky. To even consider this, it assumes you have a personal and friendly relationship with your client. If you do, it can be a good way to send quick updates and get 'yes/no' type answers to questions quickly without clogging up their e-mail. It also can allow people to tell you things that they would not want to say on the company e-mail system. Again, this requires a personal and trusting relationship and must NEVER be abused.

* Phone Call -?Often, this is still the best way to make sure your message is understood, and any confusion is quickly cleared up. Like the personal visit, it's incumbent upon you to make sure you have a clear agenda and are prepared. If you aren't, you won't get this chance again. Take advantage of administrative assistants. They can often make sure a message is delivered to your client.

* Personal Physical Visit?- I'm 'old school' here and believe that there is nothing more effective than a 'face-to-face' meeting with someone. The requirement here is you must be prepared. Do your homework and make sure you have something of value for your client.

The message of this message is: Did you understand my message?

Amanda Miller Kara Albert Lyssa Vanderbeek Joel Hollenbeck Kevin Witt Dean Karrel Nicole LanFranca Dingley Tracey Clarke Elizabeth Tomc Dayna Leaman Shari Levitin Chor Meng Tan Malcolm Townsend William Deluise Smita Bakshi

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