The simple fact is that most businesses today are either already very people oriented OR are rapidly becoming far more people oriented. It takes certain specialised skills and knowledge to succeed in a people oriented business. In most businesses, these skills and knowledge can be improved so that each interaction our business has with clients, customers and associates runs as smoothly as possible. These are some of the best ways to succeed in a people orientated business:
Develop Communication Skills
Excellent communication skills are vital. In order to provide better services, owners and our employees or associates have to know how to interact with clients/customers in a professional and efficient manner. Improving verbal, written and client-facing skills should be addressed through ongoing, effective client service training and communications training.
Always Go the Extra Mile
When a person has an excellent experience with our business, they’re far more likely to return to do business with us in the future. Satisfied clients are also more likely to tell other people about this positive experience with us. Providing high quality products and services should always be our main aim. We want clients to feel appreciated and understand they’re getting real value for their money when they deal with us. Our objective should be always to deliver more than expected by clients and have they become walking, talking advocates for our way of doing business. Think of clients as critical partners in our business, as without them we simply do not have a business.
Continue to Improve
Any people orientated business can never remain stagnant. Our business should evolve and continue to adapt to the needs of our clients. People like to share their experiences with a business with others. Today, your customers can express their feelings about your business in a wide range of ways via social media as well as all the traditional direct positive (or negative) methods of sharing. This is vital feedback for us as business owners. It gives us the opportunity to address any and all issues real-life people have with our business. Finding out what clients really think about our business should become a priority. Questionnaires, conversations with customers, social media pages and website comment and rating sections are some of the most effective ways to gather this information.
Always Be Diplomatic
Some clients are extremely easy to deal with. Unfortunately, some are not. In a people oriented industry, it’s important to stay in control of every situation. Deal with any issues that arise in a friendly, diplomatic way. In most situations, problems with customers can be resolved. However, losing your temper or arguing with a customer will reflect negatively on you and your business. Ensure that each employee or associate is also trained to take a diplomatic approach at all times. It is far better to “give something away” or “lose” occasionally rather than win an argument but lose the war and have a client suddenly bad mouthing our business, product or staff simply because we made them feel bad (even if at times they were being unreasonable).
Becoming a successful business owner in a people orientated industry we have to learn to develop communications skills, always go the extra mile, continue to improve your business and always be diplomatic. Following these tips will ensure that our business runs much more smoothly and has many more satisfied clients who will return on a regular basis.
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Copyright Graham Park – International Leadership Development Pty. Ltd. 2016. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be used without the prior written consent from the author. See below for more details…
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Keynote Speaker, Human Resources & Personnel Trainer and Human Capital Business Development Mentor, Graham Park from International Leadership Development, specialises in helping business owners achieve their goals through maximising human potential.
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