22 Aug Email is Good But You Also Need to Use the Power of Conversation

We know how hard it can be not to peek at your smartphone every few minutes or so, especially if an incoming text or notification could be from a client who needs you right away — if not a potential client seeking your global mobility expertise.

But you do have to resist the urge, especially if you are currently speaking to a colleague or another client face-to-face once you get the notification. You must give your contact 100 percent of your attention. Yes, it’s hard but it’s also downright rude to keep peeking at your phone when you’re with a client.  Remember, you’re in the people business.

You thrive on human interaction and are a quick study when it comes to reading the messages, expressed and unexpressed, in your client’s facial emotions and body language. In short, this little exercise should come as a breeze for you.

So is conversation,  a tool by which you network, form bridges, and pick up bits of important news that can only come from trusted colleagues. It comes even more handy because recent studies have shown that personal face-to-face conversation builds rapport and generates mutual respect.

Here are some ways by which authentic conversation can help grow your enterprise:

• Connecting with people gives you greater insight into what motivates and inspires them. It also shows you the things that they are afraid of and which can paralyze them. Knowing the inner state of mind of your assignees, for example, will help you deal with them during crisis or challenging situations.
• Conversation with teams and key people of your organization will help you see where the company is, from top to bottom. It might take a few days or a week, but constant dialogue and interaction with various members of your company will enable you to have a holistic perspective of the overall corporate performance or the state of employee morale. You can use that knowledge to address disruptive situations before they explode into problems. At the same time, you can use the current strengths of the organization as a platform to bring the entire team to higher levels of efficiency and productivity.
• Dialogue and interaction can inspire confidence from your important external shareholders, like customers, investors, and partners. Clients may check out the product and investors will look at the figures, but their decision to do business with your company depends on one thing: a human face that they can trust and rely on. These shareholders are looking at the long term, and they want to be sure that the company they are investing in is worthy of their time, money, and confidence. Having a conversation in person can allow you to address their fears, reply to their questions, and create that spirit of mutual solid respect that can lead to trust and, in time, develop into a long-term commitment. It can also give you an opportunity to represent your company at its brightest light.

Technology is a wonderful tool to reach your goals and propel your business to success. But you must master it, and not the other way around. There are lifehacks that can handle those pesky but needed notifications. For example,  if it’s an incoming phone call, you must have a customized text message on your phone. Just go to your smartphone’s settings to configure this. On your iPhone, go to “Respond with a Text.” On your Android Phone, it’s also in settings but worded differently as Quick Responses.where you can see your automated text responses — or customize your response.

Smart phones will never replace the connection that comes with establishing personal interaction. It is the intangible priceless things of life — like goodwill, neighborliness, and having the other person’s best interest at heart — that ultimately win over your client. That’s why if it’s possible to meet them in person, do so. Strike a conversation, get to know each other, and they just might sign up for life.