{"id":42491,"date":"2019-05-16T11:15:07","date_gmt":"2019-05-16T16:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/?p=42491"},"modified":"2019-05-16T13:31:19","modified_gmt":"2019-05-16T18:31:19","slug":"14-tips-for-improving-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2019\/05\/14-tips-for-improving-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Tips For Improving Communication"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"boldgrid-section\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-sm-12\">\n<h3>Is there anything more important in sales than being able to effectively communicate?&nbsp; I dare say no &#8211; it is a crucial skill for any sales or sales leadership role.&nbsp;<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/article\/300466?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">This Entrepreneur article<\/a> states that 55% of communication is nonverbal.&nbsp; I have seen other studies estimating that number to be closer to 90%.&nbsp; Either way, you get the idea &#8211; words are the smaller part of the communication equation.&nbsp; Salespeople must have the ability to pick up on the subtle &#8220;tells&#8221; that prospects unknowingly share.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The first step in improving your communication abilities is to know yourself.&nbsp; A <a href=\"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/selling-style\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">communication style assessment<\/a> is a good first step at understanding your natural preferences for interacting with others.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The next step would be to incorporate the tips from the aforementioned article.&nbsp; There are a handful of tips that standout from the others.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"\">\n<h2 class=\"\">1. Learn the basics of nonverbal communication.<\/h2>\n<p>One&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/ubiquity.acm.org\/article.cfm?id=2043156\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">study<\/a>&nbsp;found that nonverbal communication accounted for 55 percent&nbsp;of how an audience perceived a presenter. That means that the majority of what you say is communicated not through words, but through physical cues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">To communicate clearly and confidently, adopt proper posture. Avoid slouching, folding your arms or making yourself appear smaller than you are. Instead, fill up the space you are given, maintain eye contact and (if appropriate) move around the space.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"\">At the risk of sounding robotic, you <em>can<\/em> learn to read other people.&nbsp; Granted, there are some styles that are naturally inclined to success in this area.&nbsp; However, even the styles that are not people-focused (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.discusonline.com\/udisc\/c_compliance.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">I&#8217;m looking at you High C&#8217;s<\/a>) can learn enough tricks to gain an understanding of nonverbal communication.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"\">\n<h2>9. Master the art of timing.<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\">While some of their jokes might not be appropriate for the workplace, standup comedians are certainly effective communicators. Comedians including Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle are able to host compelling 90-minute comedy shows, in part because they have&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecut.com\/2017\/05\/the-art-and-science-of-comedic-timing.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">mastered the art of timing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Great comedians, like all great communicators, are able to feel out their audience to determine when to move on to a new topic or when to reiterate an idea.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"\">The reference to comedians is appropriate as their timing, when communicating, is of the utmost value.&nbsp; The same is true in sales &#8211; we assess for this aptitude in our assessments.&nbsp; A salesperson with a low sense of timing will be awkward and clumsy in important qualifying situations.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"\">\n<h2 class=\"\">14. Be a listener.<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cListen more than you talk.\u201d This is&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/best-advice-listen-more-than-you-talk-richard-branson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">what Richard Branson tells<\/a>&nbsp;business people who want to connect with others. To communicate effectively, first listen to what others have to say. Then you can provide a thoughtful answer that shows you have taken those ideas into account.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"\">I know, the listening bit is almost cliche now.&nbsp; Yet, it is still a skill in great demand for salespeople.&nbsp; We assess for this ability, also.&nbsp; The conventional wisdom is that strong salespeople are good talkers&#8230;not necessarily true.&nbsp; Great sales communicators are great at two distinct skills &#8211; listening and questioning.&nbsp; These are the skills that drive the top performers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">If you need help with any communication topics in your hiring process or with your existing team, we would welcome the chance to help implement these tips.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><a class=\"btn btn-pill btn-color-5 btn-glow\" style=\"color: #ffffff;\" href=\"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/contact-us\/\">Contact Us Today<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is there anything more important in sales than being able to effectively communicate?&nbsp; I dare say no &#8211; it is a crucial skill for any sales or sales leadership role.&nbsp; This Entrepreneur article states that 55% of communication is nonverbal.&nbsp; I have seen other studies estimating that number to be closer to 90%.&nbsp; Either way, you get the idea &#8211; words are the smaller part of the communication equation.&nbsp; Salespeople must have the ability to pick up on the subtle &#8220;tells&#8221; that prospects unknowingly share. The first step in improving your communication abilities is to know yourself.&nbsp; A communication style assessment is a good first step at understanding your natural&hellip; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2019\/05\/14-tips-for-improving-communication\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bgseo_title":"","bgseo_description":"","bgseo_robots_index":"index","bgseo_robots_follow":"follow","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[14],"tags":[903,187],"class_list":["post-42491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","tag-communicating","tag-sales-qualifying"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5Oho-b3l","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1671,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2008\/07\/sales-20\/","url_meta":{"origin":42491,"position":0},"title":"Sales 2.0","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"July 22, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I read often about web 2.0, recruiting 2.0 and sales 2.0.\u00a0 Math was never my forte so numbers scare me.\u00a0 But I did come across a very informative article in Sales & Marketing Management article titled A Step-By-Step Overview of Sales 2.0.\u00a0 The first pull quote: With instant access to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Communication&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Communication","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/communication\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":80,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2006\/06\/managing-a-sales-team\/","url_meta":{"origin":42491,"position":1},"title":"Managing a Sales Team","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"June 2, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Keys to Managing a Sales Team is a quick read from the abcnews.com career center. The article has hands-on advice (which we like) that cut to quick of effective sales management - at least in a limited scope. One item I want to pull from the article: Do you adapt\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sales Management&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sales Management","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/sales-management\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1668,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2008\/07\/a-fundamental-lack-of-communication\/","url_meta":{"origin":42491,"position":2},"title":"A Fundamental Lack Of Communication","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"July 18, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"The more companies we work with, the more we see communication breakdowns being the root of most problems.\u00a0 Our work with our clients spans more than just recruiting.\u00a0 We assist them in onramping their new salesperson.\u00a0 This function places us in the unique position of working with both the salesperson\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Communication&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Communication","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/communication\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2294,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2010\/03\/introverts-make-great-salespeople\/","url_meta":{"origin":42491,"position":3},"title":"Introverts Make Great Salespeople","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"March 12, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"You heard me right, that is an indirect quote from this Inc.com article.\u00a0 This topic comes up often in our sales hiring activities as the conventional wisdom is that extroverts make better salespeople.\u00a0 Not true.\u00a0 Successful salespeople have a wide variety of abilities that go far beyond their communication style.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Communication&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Communication","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/communication\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":478,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2006\/12\/the-most-important-thing-in-communication\/","url_meta":{"origin":42491,"position":4},"title":"The Most Important Thing in Communication&#8230;","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"December 4, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"...is to hear what isn't being said. -Peter Drucker We have assessed hundreds if not thousands of salespeople and the vast majority of them are extroverted in some form (High I being the most common). We have also assessed a handful of purchasing\/financial employees who tend to have introverted tendencies\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Communication&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Communication","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/communication\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":727,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2007\/03\/they-are-not-motivated\/","url_meta":{"origin":42491,"position":5},"title":"&#8220;They Are Not Motivated&#8221;","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"March 7, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"I had lunch yesterday with a friend of mine who is a sales manager for a technology company. As is often the case, we started talking about some of the issues he is seeing with his team. We also discussed another one of our friends who is a sales VP\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Assessing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Assessing","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/hiring\/assessing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/windowslivewritertheyarenotmotivated-58f7bw-success-thumb6.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screaming-Communication.png?fit=560%2C315","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42491"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42709,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42491\/revisions\/42709"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<!-- WP Super Cache is installed but broken. 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