Deliverable 7- Strategics Sales Plan

Why Is Our Communication Style Important?

Every person has a communication style. Some of us communicate effortlessly and others struggle. Some people prefer to communicate in person, while others prefer the written word.

Our communication style goes even further in a sales role. It encompasses our behaviors and how others perceive us. A salesperson can alter their behaviors and communication styles to increase chances for a desirable outcome—a sale, a sales contract or an agreement. The salesperson needs to learn to adapt their communication style to the customer or potential customer so that the transfer of important information as well as the development of the professional relationship can occur.

Phone Conversations

· Using the phone to communicate has become less dominant in recent decades as new technologies emerged allowing for more effective communications, but there are still instances where a phone conversation is better than a modern, techy option. Phone conversations allow the sales professional to hear clues about a customer based on tone or style of speech. Phone conversations also allow for a back-and-forth dialogue that is not easily replicated except during in-person conversations. You may be able to text back and forth, but a person can respond to a text three days after a message is sent. A phone conversation provides immediate feedback for both parties.

· Phone conversations are important because of the instant nature of the communication and the ability to discern tone and inflection that can only be implied in a written communications.

Email Messages

· Email has replaced many phone conversations as well as many other types of written documents. Email is quick, easy and can span the globe at a minimal cost to recipients. Email has also replaced many traditional needs for written letters and have broken down many barriers to communication, such as time zone barriers, especially when competing in a global marketplace.

· Email can be efficient, but it is not an instantaneous conversation. Your email message may be sent instantaneously, but the recipient may not see or wish to respond instantaneously. Email is still important, because it is universal and also has the ability to be referred to after the fact.

· Let’s face it; we may think our memory is great and that we will remember every detail of a phone conversation or a lunch meeting, but email has a staying power and can be used as a historical summary.

Face-to-Face (Traditional & Virtual)

· One of the most traditional and still relevant communication exchanges is face to face. In the most modern sense, this can occur in two formats. First, the persons communicating can be in the same location in the literal sense of the word. Second, the persons communicating can be “virtually” face to face. There are many technologies that exist such as video conferencing that allow face-to-face interactions when parties are as far away as the other side of the globe.

· We define these two formats the same way as the key benefits are the same. You can view body language and other nonverbal cues as well as having an immediate sense of a person’s behaviors towards a topic.

Communication Styles

There are many different approaches and ways to categorize and analyze communications styles. The well-understood model is referred to as the Communication Styles Model. In this model, there are four styles: Emotive, Directive, Reflective and Supportive. The four styles stem from two spectrums; one is for dominance and other spectrum is for sociability. There are successful communicators in each one of these quadrants. It is important to understand your own style as well as being able to quickly assess the style of those you communicate with for sales.

In addition to the Communication Styles Model, there are other style categories to consider as well. Traditionally there are several basic and common communication styles. They are:

· Assertive

· Aggressive

· Passive-Aggressive

· Submissive (also called Passive)

We describe the Submissive style as being exhibited by “pushovers;” one who avoids using their power. On the opposite end of the communication style spectrum is the Assertive communicator. This style is open to ideas and discussion but has a formulated idea already. It is important to highlight that the Assertive style is still open to other ideas; if and when they are not, then the Aggressive style is in play. An Aggressive communication style is often referred to as bullying and a person exhibiting an Aggressive communication style is combative and focuses on power or control in a communication. Passive-Aggressive communication style is exhibited when, outwardly, it seems like there is a Passive approach, but many of the nonverbal clues and language clues signal something different.

In sales, it is important to know what style you have, as well as understand what style your customer exhibits. If you were to create a spectrum of styles, Assertive would be on one end and Passive would be on the other end. Becoming a great “student” of communication styles and practicing Assertive communication style is a great asset for the sales professional. There is a common phrase in communications that goes, “The success of communication is the responsibility of the communicator.”

There are multiple approaches to assessing communication styles, and this is just one approach that works in business environments. It is always a good idea to be familiar with multiple approaches and to learn which ones work best in your own professional environments.

Conclusion

Good communication skills are incredibly valuable in sales as is choosing the type of exchange to conduct the communication. This may seem obvious, but it is much deeper than that, especially when you consider that in the modern era, the most effective sales teams have taken on a consultative/collaborative approach with their customers. Being able to diffuse an upset customer or communicating with a C-level executive at a golf tournament are just two examples of the importance and value of effective communication skills.