It would be incorrect to say that effective communication is a practical component of sales success. What is correct is that sales success is all about the right communication happening at the right time. As a salesperson, you would definitely agree to it, right?
From explaining the product to negotiations and persuasion, you need effective communication at each step to convert your leads.
Do you think your potential customers will remain engaged for long if you don’t come across as a streak smart communicator? Do you think you can thrive as a salesperson without laying much emphasis on developing communication proficiency? Well, the truth is that you may be able to cover the gaps in your communication skills a few times.
With that in mind, it makes complete sense that you remain committed to enhancing your communication skills in a continuous way. When it comes to being an effective communicator, you should not have that "I know it all" attitude. After all, adding consistent value to your communication skills will only broaden your wings to soar higher, isn’t it?
The question is, what does it take to be a proficient communicator? What are the imperative components of effective communication that can make you a more successful salesperson?
That's exactly what this blog will answer. This blog elucidates the 7 C's of communication that can prove to be the competitive edge in your communication proficiency.
7 C's of Communication to Remember
1. Clarity
As a salesperson looking to persuade customers to make quick purchasing decisions, clarity in your communication should be your utmost priority. You want to offer maximum clarity to your customers to offer them a positive experience. Gone are the days when you could manipulate customers by holding back information.
If you look at the present consumer trends, they want brands to be honest and offer maximum transparency. As per Emarsys, more than 90% of customers expect brands to be more transparent and honest. For them, a brand’s transparency will be the key to their purchase decision.
When it comes to sales, the greater the clarity of communication the higher the prospects of success. Every ounce of clarity you offer to your customers will add incredibly to their customer experience in a positive way. If you're a sales manager, you should train your sales team to endorse greater clarity in communication. This has to be one of the best ways to help your sales team close more deals.
2. Completeness
The information that you communicate to your team or customers should be complete in every sense. Your customers won’t appreciate the fact if you are nudging them again and again for repetitive follow-ups.
As a salesperson, it's important that you offer complete information in the minimum number of calls or emails. Otherwise, it will not be surprising if your customers are disengaging too soon.
It's also important that you don't make calls or emails overwhelmingly long. In that case, you will end up annoying your customers. You must find a way to communicate complete information without dragging it too much. Your message needs to be incredibly clear and complete in all aspects for flawless communication.
The bottom line is that every communicator irrespective of their profession should aim for the attribute of completeness in communication. When you bring this into your communication style, you will surely be converting a lot more leads. Hence, completeness should be one of the SMART goals relevant to your pursuit of enhancing your communication proficiency.
3. Correctness
The relationship you have as a salesperson with your leads and customers is entirely based on trust. In the ultimate sense, it's your leads’ trust in you that will lead to purchase decisions. Having said that, besides being complete, your communication with them also needs to have a high degree of correctness.
Let’s say you're a salesperson at one of the retail outlets of a luxury car brand like Audi, BMW, or Tesla. So, needless to say, you'll have a lot of walk-in queries on a daily basis which will have people enquiring about the features, specifications, and availability of specific models. All that you communicate to them as a salesperson has to be correct with no margin for error.
Later, if there's a discrepancy in what you communicated to your leads and what the actual scenario is, it could lead to mistrust. Also, some customers may report to your sales manager that you communicated wrong details to them.
Correctness is an aspect of communication you should never overlook. Yes, as a salesperson you need to be diplomatic with your customers at times. However, being diplomatic should not be synonymous with the communication of incorrect details or information.
4. Conciseness
We would all agree with the fact that we are always running a virtual race against time. The thing is that no one really has the time to engage in long conversations or read long emails. Neither do you have that kind of privilege of time nor do your customers. Hence, it's a key thing to have the ability to communicate complete, correct, and conclusive details in a concise way.
Frankly speaking, being a communicator who can be effective yet concise is quite an art. In sales, you will always get high purchases for this art without an iota of doubt. If you can master this art, you will certainly be at the top of your communication game.
Offer important information to your leads in a concise way and see how conversions go up. Needless to say, your conversion rate is one of the most vital sales performance KPIs you need to be watchful of.
5. Concreteness
Would you be appreciative of a communication style that has a lot of ambiguity? Would you consider someone to be an effective communicator if their communication style lacks concrete details and rather makes things more complicated than they actually are? Certainly, for you, such a person would not qualify as an effective communicator for you.
The fact of the matter is that effective communicators firmly believe in having great concreteness in their communication. When they put forth concrete details and verified information in their conversations, there is little or no scope for misinterpretations. This is exactly how people become great communicators.
You look at all the great communicators known to the world, they do not say anything they are not sure about. When you achieve such excellence in your communication, you'll see yourself advancing at a much greater pace in your sales career.
6. Courtesy
When you come across as a courteous communicator, your perception is seen in a positive light. Everyone would love to connect with people who manifest great humility and courtesy in their communication style.
In fact, in sales, courtesy in your communication will be a critical determinant of the first impression you leave on your potential customers. Needless to say, a positive first experience could be the beginning of a great customer journey that will be beneficial for your career success.
Therefore, if you wish to optimize your communication skills for a more successful career in sales, courtesy is something you need to keep on a high pedestal. The more courteous and sweet you are in your interaction with your customers the higher will be the prospects of conversions.
As a sales manager, being courteous will also help you in facilitating high employee engagement among your sales team. With greater courtesy and compassion, you can assist your team members in managing their personal problems better and bringing out the best in them. Makes great sense right? Courtesy will always be one of the finest leadership traits ever.
7. Consideration
Do you consider other people’s opinions, perspectives, and emotions when you interact with them? Do you give high priority to your leads’ thoughts and feelings during your conversations with them? If you do not, you definitely should if you want to maintain long-term relationships with your customers such that they keep coming back to you.
The last component of the 7 C's of communication is consideration. It says that while interacting with others, especially your customers, you need to be considerate. You need to make sure that the communication is two-way and you also respect their space for them to express themselves without any reluctance. You need to give them a great sense of inclusion such that they too can participate in the conversation and put forth their concerns.
In fact, in the world of marketing and sales, it is often said that customers are the kings. Indeed that is true, and you need to acknowledge that well in sales. You need to listen more and speak less because you want to give your customers that sense of empowerment. So, you need to make your client conversations highly engaging and encourage them to speak their hearts out. For that, having empathy will certainly help in driving greater success as a salesperson.
Conclusion
To encapsulate, sales success cannot be independent of excellence and proficiency in communication. When you add constant value to your abilities as a communicator, you will see a tangible advancement in your success as a salesperson.
All that you need to do is master the 7 C's of communication. In all probability, this is your ultimate end game when it comes to communication efficiency.
