PSPINC Official Company Blog

Business Communication: Be Simple and Consistent

2月

14日

image source: pixabay.com

Albert Einstein said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” That’s great advice, especially when it comes to business communication. The only thing I would add – in respect to business – is to keep repeating a consistent message if you want it to stick with people.

With all the distractions around us, and all the information and advertisements circulating for other brands, it’s easy for even the simplest message to escape our minds. If you want your business’ message to stand out, three things need to happen. 1) Your message must be simple and the same every time. 2) You have to get it out there in front of people over and over again. 3) You have to be an authority on what your message is conveying.

Let’s use some big brand slogans as an example. Can you match the message with the brand?

Just do it.
Think different.
What’s in your wallet?
I’m lovin’ it.
There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s …
Because you’re worth it.
For life.
A diamond is forever.

These big corporations have nailed down simple slogans that are easy to repeat over and over again. Because of that, I’m betting you knew most of the answers. But they aren’t the only ones who can succeed in this type of marketing. Regardless of your size, keep repeating your message until it becomes a part of your internal business culture and a part of your public identity.

Finally, back up your message with authority and action. Your marketing message should be genuine and authentic and represent your business accurately, otherwise you risk driving people away.

So, did you guess most of them? Check your answers:

Just do it. - Nike
Think different. - Apple
What’s in your wallet? - Capital One Credit Card
I’m lovin’ it. - McDonalds
There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s MasterCard. - MasterCard
Because you’re worth it. - L’Oreal
For life. - Volvo
A diamond is forever. - De Beers

#Advertising #B2B #Blog #Branding #Communication #ENnews #Marketing #OfficeTips #PSPinc #SmallBusiness

Business Communication: Building Mutual Relationships

2月

12日

image source: pixabay.com

I strongly believe relationships in business – a company and its customers, a company and its employees, a manager and team – must work like a marriage. Both parties must mutually benefit, reciprocate, and want to engage in a healthy relationship. And healthy communication in those relationships include being genuine and clear, sharing not only the goods, but sometimes the bads and the risks. It requires us to know each other pretty well.

Let’s talk about a specific example.

Let’s say you’re a salesperson at PSP, and a customer came to you to buy a computer. The customer had a budget of $1,500 but you strongly recommended the $2,000 computer which the customer bought. One week later, an issue arose and you had to deal with the repairs which took several days.

At the time of purchase, if the customer was super happy to learn about all the all the added features he/she was getting by spending the extra $500, thanking you for all the advice, the problem that came up will likely be dealt with pretty smoothly. Overall, the customer was happy with the purchase from the start.

But what if the customer felt pressured to purchase the more expensive machine? Well, if the customer never felt comfortable with their initial purchase, you can bet they won’t be happy with the new issue. Getting it sorted out might not go as smoothly since the relationship between you and the customer was never mutually beneficial.

In any relationship, unless it is mutual, you’re more likely to encounter issues sooner or later. So be honest, be genuine, and put yourself in their shoes, so you can make the relationship mutually beneficial and successful. This requires clear and honest communication to work.

#Advertising #B2B #Blog #Branding #Communication #ENnews #Marketing #OfficeTips #PSPinc #SmallBusiness

Business Communication: Getting your Point Across

2月

7日

image source: pixabay.com

Has anyone ever asked you, “So what is your point? The point we try to make to someone can easily get muddled with extra words and long explanations, or it can get confused by lack of tone over digital communication. So how do we get to the point faster and make communication more effective?

Here are some points to consider:

State your point up front.

It’s important you know what your point is before you start communicating it. What is the outcome you’d like to get after your explanation? Particularly over email, it would be great to include your point in the subject line, if possible, so people are prepped to read. You should also summarize your point and purpose for the email in the very first paragraph.

Keep it simple.

When people ask what your point is, or say get to the point, they’re asking you to be direct –in other words – simplify the message. Don’t fill your explanation with big words, slang, abbreviations, or buzz words. If you have time to prepare your communication, choose your words carefully.

Getting to the point also means “be specific.” If you state, “I need the products to be delivered fast,” what “fast” means to you may be different for someone else. You meant within one day, but by another person’s standards maybe a week is fast. Best to say things like, “I need the products to be delivered within 24 hours,” or “by 2 p.m. tomorrow.”

Don’t bury your point in too many words.

We tend to explain ourselves more when we aren’t confident or clear about our own point. People read diagonally if you have too many words in your email. Keep it short and sweet. One way to do that is by using bulleted or numbered lists. You can summarize specific points really well that way.

Give examples.

If you can include examples to get your point across, do it. And the more specific examples, the better.

Finally, re-read your email before pressing send.

#Advertising #B2B #Blog #Branding #Communication #ENnews #Marketing #OfficeTips #PSPinc #SmallBiz #SmallBusiness

Business Communication: Setting Core Values

2月

5日

image source: pixabay.com

Communication is a very broad topic in business – it includes internal communication between staff, from management to employees, and it also includes external communication to the public through branding, advertising and PR.

One of the key elements in business communication is persuasion. How do we get people to trust us, believe our stories and get on board with what we do? A big part of doing that is getting your internal values and communication in sync so the message you put out to the public is consistent.

Since it’s the beginning of a new year and time to communicate our company goals with the team, I thought I would write down some of the key points and share them with you as well. We call these our “core values.”

At PSP, have 5 core values:

• Creativity:
We are here to be creative and innovative so we will stay ahead of our competitors.

• Professionalism:
Customers seek our advice because we are the pros. Demonstrate knowledge and professionalism.

• Simplicity:
Let’s not confuse customers or each other. Simplicity can provide efficiency.

• Consideration:
Putting ourselves in each other’s shoes should guide our response and actions.

• Excellence:
Always seek improvement. Never compromise.

Setting and sharing your internal core values is a good way to keep your employees in sync – who are coming from different departments, have different motivations, job descriptions, and even come from different generations and backgrounds.

Core values serve as a guideline for employees to follow and they should be shared and talked about within your organization all the time. It’s fine to share those core values with your customers too, as long as they’re being met internally. Have you considered your business’ core values?