What are you not saying or seeing or not hearing in your business? Business communication is very important.
So often in business we miss things. We don’t communicate as effectively as we should, or miss things or perhaps don’t always ‘hear’ what is being said (or often, not said).
Read It’s Mid-2017 – How to Accomplish Your Business Goals for This Year.
Here are a few thoughts to get you thinking about your business:
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Communication in your financial reports.
From decades of looking at financial reports (I’ve seen thousands), you need to look at what you are seeing, but also what you are not seeing. Business owners often forget about what might be missing. For example, perhaps your business has motor vehicle registration costs, but no fuel, or the other way around. That doesn’t make sense. If one or the other is missing, I ask the question. Usually, it just means that the bookkeeper has missed this information. Another example is that the business has staff and wages, but there is no WorkCover insurance expense, or super is missing. Again, this can be for a few reasons and certainly it should be asked why this is missing.
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What people don’t say!
When it comes to staff or clients, you need to have your ears open and be asking relevant questions, and of course listen. People will not always speak up and complain (although of course some do incessantly) but rather let their feet talk, by walking away. When you have conversations with staff or clients or suppliers, do you ask the right questions and seriously listen and look also for the gaps. I remember my mother told me once “If you have nothing good to say, then say nothing”. Often a silence can be a message; just that some of us don’t ‘hear’ that message and don’t dig a little deeper. Maybe that is avoidance on our part, but better to know than to wear the consequence of the loss (client or staff) later.
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Do you keep your advisors in the dark?
Are you playing a puzzle game, like jigsaw and keep a few pieces hidden? In years of working with clients and their finances, I often wondered if this was a game to some people. Don’t give the accountant, bookkeeper or financial advisor all the pieces of the puzzle and see how good they are at working it out? This does no one any favours; they might eventually work out the puzzle, but many of these services are time-based; you are only paying for them to take longer. Tell them the whole picture; give them all the information and don’t play games.
Communication is very important in business (and life). Take a look at how you communicate; do you keep relevant parties in the dark? Do you ask great questions and listen fully? If something doesn’t seem right, do you ask about it? Do you encourage and train your staff to communicate effectively? Remember finally, that communication is not just the written word or the spoken word … is it so much more. What message are you communicating?
As a business coach, I can guide you and your staff to communicate well. Calll me on 0411 622 666 or email donna@donna-stone.com.au
