Written and published by Rachel Green.
Visit our website at http://www.rachelgreen.com
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In this edition:
- The importance of building business relationships.
- Latest news: Enrol a new subscriber and be in the draw for a f.r.e.e. CD.
- Top tips on: How to build better business relationships with clients and customers.
- How not to take things personally CD - special offer.
- Laugh your socks off.
1. The importance of building business relationships.
Do you have clients, customers or patients that you deal with? What kind of relationships do you have with them? How much importance do you place on building the relationships?
Building client relationships is important. Having a strong relationship increases your ability to build trust with your clients. Clients are more likely to want to do business with people they trust and relate to. They are more likely to listen to the advice given by someone they trust. It is also usually easier to manage any problems that may occur. Research shows that professionals who have a strong relationship based on clear communication are less likely to be sued when things go wrong than those who have failed to communicate clearly with clients. Finally, of course, people are more likely to buy from people they trust and thus by paying attention to your business relationships your sales may increase.
So how can you build good business relationships? Read on to the tips section to find out.
2. Latest news: Find a new reader and go in the draw to win a f.r.e.e. copy of the CD of your choice.
Welcome to new readers this fortnight from Dubai, Botswana and Tanzania as well as the USA, Australia and elsewhere ... plus a big welcome to a new group of readers from Australia's largest professional services firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers. Please do feel able to request topics you'd like covered.
My dream is to dramatically increase the number of people receiving Confidence 4 U - to 40,000. Can you help? If everyone who presently gets the magazine had just one of their friends or colleagues also subscribe we could double the number of subscribers overnight.
Here is the benefit to you. If you get a new person to subscribe you could win a f.r.e.e. copy of one of our CDs of your choice. Each new subscriber between Tuesday 11th September and Sunday 23rd September 2007 will go in the draw, and the lucky winner will win a CD of his/her choice. The winner will also be asked who encouraged him/her to subscribe. If it is you, you will win a CD of your choice too. Results will be published in the next newsletter.
Subscribe here: http://www.rachelgreen.com/newsletter.html
If you would like to be kept up-to-date with the launch of the
new Confidence CDs just send an e-mail to: and we will add you to our new products e-mail list. First set due out in October.
3. How to build better business relationships with clients and customers.
Tip 1: Use their language.
Pay attention to what your clients say. What words and phrases do they use? What is their level of understanding of the topic? Use similar phrases and language. Do not use a lot of technical words or bureaucratic language if they don't use that language. Jargon is a barrier to understanding and leads clients to think that you are not on their level. Do everything you can to talk their language - it helps build relationships. As a simple example, jargon may be "employer of choice", the client may be more inclined to say "I want to work for you."
Tip 2: Pace their speech rate and volume.
It is usually easier to build a relationship with people who are similar to you than those who are different. This applies to the way people speak. For example, if you have a loud voice another person with a much quieter voice may not relate to you easily. In contrast, if your voice was also quiet then your relationship may be formed more easily. Pace your speech rate, amount of talking and volume to those of your clients. No need to be identical, just be similar.
Tip 3: Stay in touch.
Don't just meet a client once and then not get in touch again until you want to sell them something. A relationship in business is like any relationship, you need to take the trouble to stay in touch. Find an excuse to stay in touch if one doesn't arise naturally. For example, when people buy, "The beginner's guide to being a brilliant Master of Ceremonies" E-book, I write to each one personally and offer them something else for f.r.e.e., such as a set of jokes for a wedding. It is a simple way to stay in touch and adds value to the relationship.
Tip 4: Don't let people upset you.
Clients can say negative or potentially irritating things, be rude or arrogant, or lose their tempers. Do not let them get to you. Instead, stay calm and centred so that you also stay clear-headed and can think of the best things to say at every stage of your interactions. You are more likely to gain their respect by your staying in control than getting upset, showing your frustration or being rude back. Do not give them cause for complaint.
If you find that clients or customers do get to you and you get irritated or upset by them, I have put together a collection of strategies to help you on the CD "How not to take things personally: Dealing positively with negativity." Learn how to stay cool and stay in control with the most difficult clients and customers. When you do this your relationships can prosper. Click here for more details.
Tip 5: Understand their emotions.
A lot of behaviour is driven by emotions. Pay attention to your clients' emotions. Do not ignore them. Emotions give you a lot of information about your business relationships and what you need to do to develop them well. For example, a client may feel uncertain about the value of what you are saying; if you notice this it could be an opportunity for you to provide more data to back up what you are saying or to provide reassurance. Work to ease their concerns rather than ignoring their emotions.
For example, one of my clients attended an Emotional Intelligence workshop with me where he learnt how to pay attention to his own and his customers' emotions. He wrote after the course to say he had sold $60,000 more products than he ever had before, in just one week, and he had broken all records for sales. Building good business relationships requires high levels of emotional intelligence as well as cognitive data and IQ.
In contrast, I knew a lawyer who lost a large contract with an important client. His client kept asking him what was happening, and he kept saying, "Everything is under control, there is nothing to worry about." This annoyed the client who wanted more information. The lawyer needed to acknowledge their concerns and clearly, without defensiveness, and give them the information they needed to calm their anxiety. He didn't and the relationship ended.
If you want some more tips on building good business relationships, as it is a huge topic, I will write a new set of ten tips for the website on it, in the next fortnight. I will give you the link next time.
4. How not to get upset or bothered by clients.
How not to take things personally: Dealing positively with negativity
If you want to hear more about how to stay calm in negative situations there is a lot more practical information on the CD: "How not to take things personally: Dealing positively with negativity”. The CDs are also entertaining and will give you relevant steps to cope with negativity. All the methods on the CDs I use frequently to help me stay calm when things go wrong and people are negative. AU$45.00 with no extra for postage, world-wide. Order now!
If you order no later than Friday 14th September 2007 then you will get a F.R.E.E. extra copy to give to a friend, to the value of $45. To be eligible for the extra copy you must order through our On-line Book and CD store and click NEWSLETTER when it asks you where you heard about the CDs. Don't miss out - this offer closes, Friday 14th September 2007. This offer is ONLY available to CONFIDENCE 4 U readers.
Order now!
5. Laugh your socks off.
Thanks to our Confidence 4 U reader Rogan Webster, for this fortnight's joke. It shows how important clear communication can be and how our footballers don't always get it right!
Remarkably Insightful Quotes (allegedly from Australian footballers/coaches/commentators).
"I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father."
"Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like
Norman Einstein."
"You guys line up alphabetically by height," and "you guys pair up in
groups of three, then line up in a circle."
When asked whether he had visited the Pyramids during his visit to Egypt, a footballer was heard to say: "I can't really remember the names of the clubs that we went to."
"He's a guy who gets up at six o'clock in the morning regardless of what time it is."
"I want to kick 70 or 80 goals this season, whichever comes first."
"Luke Hodge - the 21 year old, who turned 22 a few weeks ago."
"We actually got the winning goal three minutes from the end but then
they scored."
"I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body".
"That kick was absolutely unique, except for the one before it which was identical."
"Sure there have been injuries and deaths in football - but none of them serious."
"If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again."
"I never comment on umpires and I'm not going to break the habit of a lifetime for that prat."
"Have you ever thought of writing your autobiography?" A footballer responded: "On what?"
If you have some clean jokes we can use, please send your contributions to
May your relationships be solid so you enjoy your job and build your business.
Until next fortnight,
With kindness,
Rachel.
Further information for you
If you'd like me to speak at your function or seminar on communication, emotional intelligence, confidence, presentation skills, staying calm with negative people, or a similar topic; or provide you with 1-1 job interview coaching; e-mail or call +61 8 9390 1188.
Learn in your own time.
There are six CD sets, a printed book and 6 Electronic books to help you, including the NEW! CD set on "A successful marriage," and the new 3rd edition of the E-book "How to be a brilliant master of ceremonies." Please order in our online book and CD store - we have a secure server: click here.
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Disclaimer: The information in this newsletter is of a general nature and may not suit everyone or every situation. While every care has been taken to ensure it is useful and appropriate, no responsibility can be taken for the results gained from its implementation.
Please seek individual professional guidance for any difficulties you may have with your confidence, communication, self-esteem, presentation skills, inter-personal relationships, business, emotional management, or psychological well-being. Thank you.
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