Suggest You - Business

Bullet Proof Shipping
If you are in the business of shipping products, shipping damage is a very real problem. It occurs constantly and even has to be figured into your shipping budget. It would seem a shame that the big three shipping carriers (UPS, Federal Express and DHL) would have the damage solution under control. Sadly they do not. The problem really resides in people (as usual) If you look at the employment model of the shipping carriers you will find most have a lot of part time employees that work third shift and have other jobs as well. A lot are unskilled labor and just there trying to earn some decent money. The job entails some fairly hard labor, a lot of lifting and working on the backside of the clock. Millions of packages come through the sort facility each night. Your packages (and ours) are travel a rough road to get from point A to point B. Packages are picked up locally then loaded onto an airplane, and flown to a central sorting facility. After this they are loaded on a plane again and then loaded to a smaller facility, sorted and then loaded on a truck again to be delivered to your door. What’s the point in explaining all this? The point is this; your package touches many hands during its journey. Many of those hands don’t care or have accidents. Heavy boxes are dropped. Little boxes have larger boxes fall on them. All boxes fall off conveyor belts from time to time. Boxes are stacked on top of each other. Not many people read your “fragile sticker” because getting packages in and out of the sort facility is a race of time.So how do you guard against all this? You learn to pack defensively. Simply knowing the fact that your box is damage prone will help you out immensely. If you have an item that could be damaged, you take action before it’s shipped. I k

, then overturn THAT position the following week, only breeds distrust in your message.

And distrust in you!

People who distrust you are exceedingly unlikely to take the action you wish them to take. They are also highly unlikely to pay any attention to your future messages.

As well as consistency amongst multiple messages, be aware that inconsistency within your message can be just as deadly to audience comprehension.

At the risk of sounding like the Grouchy Grammarian, please make sure that your tenses remain the same, that your viewpoint doesn't wander between the 1st and 3rd person and back again (unless you deliberately want to create a linguistic or story-telling effect — be careful with this!) and that your overall 'theme' or message doesn't change.

4. MEDIUM

Effective Decision Making
We all need to make decisions. While we all know that this is part of life, we can often find it difficult. It might be that:• We are afraid of getting it wrong• We procrastinate• We get lost in the detail and lose sight of the bigger picture• We worry about how others will react• We don’t know what outcome we want to achieveGiven these potential hazards, what are my 10 key tips for more effective decision making?1. Recognise that very few decisions are a matter of life or death. Most decisions, even if they don’t work out quite as you expected are irrecoverable. Give your self permission to make mistakes and learn from them.2. Avoid putting things off. If you know a decision needs to be made, find a way of forcing yourself to move toward it. One way might be to set a deadline.3. Keep your focus on the bigger picture and make sure you do not get lost in the detail. Keep asking what is important about this decision?4. Whenever you have to take a decision, remember that not everyone is going to agree with it. As a leader or manager you are paid to take decisions and sometimes they will be unpopular.5. Get clear about the outcome (result) you want before taking a decision so that all discussion, debate, etc is linked back to the result.6. Make sure that you have the right information available to take the decision and if not go and find it.7. Trust your intuition. Sometimes you will just have a hunch about something. Our natural reaction is to dismiss it. Instead try using it. For example, imagine you are part of a Senior Management Team discussing a new investment. You have a hunch that it is good long term even though the numbers might indicate otherwise. Throw it out you might just

There are seven essential elements to successful business communication:

Structure

Clarity

Consistency

Medium

Relevancy

Primacy/Recency

Psychological Rule of 7±2

If you are going to communicate effectively in business it is essential that you have a solid grasp of these seven elements.

So let's look at each in turn...

1. STRUCTURE

How you structure your communication is fundamental to how easily it is absorbed and understood by your audience.

Every good communication should have these three structural elements:

an opening

a body

a close

This structural rule holds true no matter what your communication is -- a memo, a phone call, a voice mail message, a personal presentation, a speech, an email, a webpage, or a multi-media presentation.

Remember - your communication's audience can be just one person, a small team, an auditorium full of people or a national, even global, group of millions.

In this instance size doesn't matter -- the rules remain the same.

Opening

An opening allows your communication's audience to quickly understand what the communication is about.

Short, sharp and to the point, a good opening lets your audience quickly reach a decision of whether or not to pay attention to your message.

Time is a precious resource, after all, and the quicker you can 'get to the point' and the faster your audience can make that 'disregard/pay attention' decision the more positively they will view you --- which can be VERY important if you need or want to communicate with them in the future.

Body

Here's where you get to the 'heart' of your message.

It is in the body of the message that you communicate all of your facts and figures relative to the action you want your communication's audience to take after attending to your message.

Keep your facts, figures and any graphs or charts you might present to the point. Don't bog down your audience with irrelevant material, or charts with confusing, illegible numbers and colours.

--SIDE BAR--

There's a key to rapid uptake of your message -- KISS.

Pitch your presentation's graphics at a grade seven child. If THEY can follow and understand them, chances are good that your audience will too.

--END SIDE BAR--

Close

The Close is where you sum up your communication, remind your audience of your key points, and leave them with a clear understanding of what you want them to do next.

The more powerfully you can end your communication, the more easily remembered it will be by your audience.

2. CLARITY

Be clear about the messaqe you want to deliver, as giving a confused message to your audience only ends up with them being confused and your message being ignored.

If you are giving a message about, say, overtime payments don't then add in messages about detailed budget issues or the upcoming staff picnic -- UNLESS they ABSOLUTELY fit in with your original message.

It's far better and clearer for your audience if you create a separate communication about these ancilliary issues.

3. CONSISTENCY

Nothing more upsets a regular reader of, say, your newsletter than inconsistency of your message.

Taking a position on an issue one week, only to overturn it the next, then overturn THAT position the following week, only breeds distrust in your message.

And distrust in you!

People who distrust you are exceedingly unlikely to take the action you wish them to take. They are also highly unlikely to pay any attention to your future messages.

As well as consistency amongst multiple messages, be aware that inconsistency within your message can be just as deadly to audience comprehension.

4. MEDIUM

If t

Are You Ready For Changing Your Lifestyle?
I ask you question. Do you like vacation? If your answer is "NO", don't read this article. This information is for people who are serious to enjoy vacation.Then, do you have time to enjoy vacation? Do you have money to travel around the world? Do you have health to be able to go around the world. You need 3 things to enjoy vacation1. Money 2 Time 3 HealthBut how many percentage of people have 3 things? The survey shows that only 1% of population have 3 things. Did this fact disappoint you? But you are luck to find this worth information to solve those problems!I will show you How to own your life!Have you ever thought about what it would be like to "Own Your Life?" This is what we think it means to "Own Your Life:"When you subtract out the sleeping time, commuting time, working time and things you have to do each and every day of your life, most people don't have more than one to two hours a day to do what they would like to do - and then, would they have the money to do it? We have discovered a way a person can learn how to "Own Their Life" by building a home-based business, and we have a system for doing it that is so simple anyone can do it! It doesn't require selling, and the best part is it won't take much of your time. If you are interested, continue browsing this lens and click the link below to fill out a brief survey for more information.Eight (8) Reasons to Own Your Life Every 11 seconds a home-based business is started in the United States1. Help eliminate debt. 2. Spend more time with your family. 3. Add more to your retirement savings. 4. Take a longer vacation. 5. Help save for a rainy day. 6. Pay off your mortgage quicker. 7. Be a stay-at-home mom or allow your spo

structural rule holds true no matter what your communication is -- a memo, a phone call, a voice mail message, a personal presentation, a speech, an email, a webpage, or a multi-media presentation.

Remember - your communication's audience can be just one person, a small team, an auditorium full of people or a national, even global, group of millions.

In this instance size doesn't matter -- the rules remain the same.

Opening

An opening allows your communication's audience to quickly understand what the communication is about.

Short, sharp and to the point, a good opening lets your audience quickly reach a decision of whether or not to pay attention to your message.

Body

Here's where you get to the 'heart' of your message.

It is in the body of the message that you communicate all of your facts and figures relative to the action you want your communication's audience to take after attending to your message.

Keep your facts, figures and any graphs or charts you might present to the point. Don't bog down your audience with irrelevant material, or charts with confusing, illegible numbers and colours.

--SIDE BAR--

There's a key to rapid uptake of your message -- KISS.

Pitch your presentation's graphics at a grade seven child. If THEY can follow and understand them, chances are good that your audience will too.

--END SIDE BAR--

Close

The Close is where you sum up your communication, remind your audience of your key points, and leave them with a clear understanding of what you want them to do next.

The more powerfully you can end your communication, the more easily remembered it will be by your audience.

2. CLARITY

Be clear about the messaqe you want to deliver, as giving a confused message to your audience only ends up with them being confused and your message being ignored.

It's far better and clearer for your audience if you create a separate communication about these ancilliary issues.

3. CONSISTENCY

Nothing more upsets a regular reader of, say, your newsletter than inconsistency of your message.

Taking a position on an issue one week, only to overturn it the next, then overturn THAT position the following week, only breeds distrust in your message.

And distrust in you!

People who distrust you are exceedingly unlikely to take the action you wish them to take. They are also highly unlikely to pay any attention to your future messages.

As well as consistency amongst multiple messages, be aware that inconsistency within your message can be just as deadly to audience comprehension.

4. MEDIUM

Career as a Master Franchise
Starting a Franchise Company is not easy, but running a regional franchising company can be an extremely rewarding career as a master franchise of a larger franchise corporation. What is a Master Franchise? Well it is a Franchisor who licenses to sell franchises in a region, country, state or continent.Let us say I take one of my franchising companies and brand names and then decide to allow another company to take all my work, brand name and business model and then franchise it for me in a specific territory? For instance what if I took my DetailGuys.com franchise and sold you the rights to set up these franchises in WA, OR, ID, MT and WY?You would then sell and set up these franchises and we would split franchise fees at a 60-40% split. Then you could be a franchisor without having to design the business model from scratch and own and control a chunk of the brand name. This is an exciting career because it allows you to run a large company with many outlets in many states. It provides you with travel, excitement and challenge.Once you have worked hard you would have something very nice to sell to provide you with a decent retirement and it would all be based on your ability to run a franchising company. So, is this an offer to sell you the master rights to that region? No, actually it is not, as it is not for sale, but, it is a really good example of what a career as a Master Franchise might entail. Consider all this in 2006.

n be VERY important if you need or want to communicate with them in the future.

Body

Here's where you get to the 'heart' of your message.

It is in the body of the message that you communicate all of your facts and figures relative to the action you want your communication's audience to take after attending to your message.

Keep your facts, figures and any graphs or charts you might present to the point. Don't bog down your audience with irrelevant material, or charts with confusing, illegible numbers and colours.

--SIDE BAR--

There's a key to rapid uptake of your message -- KISS.

Pitch your presentation's graphics at a grade seven child. If THEY can follow and understand them, chances are good that your audience will too.

--END SIDE BAR--

Close

The Close is where you sum up your communication, remind your audience of your key points, and leave them with a clear understanding of what you want them to do next.

The more powerfully you can end your communication, the more easily remembered it will be by your audience.

2. CLARITY

Be clear about the messaqe you want to deliver, as giving a confused message to your audience only ends up with them being confused and your message being ignored.

It's far better and clearer for your audience if you create a separate communication about these ancilliary issues.

3. CONSISTENCY

Nothing more upsets a regular reader of, say, your newsletter than inconsistency of your message.

Taking a position on an issue one week, only to overturn it the next, then overturn THAT position the following week, only breeds distrust in your message.

And distrust in you!

People who distrust you are exceedingly unlikely to take the action you wish them to take. They are also highly unlikely to pay any attention to your future messages.

As well as consistency amongst multiple messages, be aware that inconsistency within your message can be just as deadly to audience comprehension.

4. MEDIUM

Brand Management: Defining Your Brand Position
What does your brand stand for? More importantly, how would your customers answer that question since brands don’t create wealth customers do.Brand positioning starts with a frame of reference, which signals to consumers the goal they can expect to achieve. Customers have expectations that they attach to brands. Over time those expectations change and it’s up to the brand to change accordingly. The brand and the category it competes in are not static things.Consumer’s change and so must brands; brands must be in lockstep with consumers. Brands are just one instrument among many with which to build customer equity; brands serve as a magnet to attract new customers as well as an anchor to hold existing customers.The name of the game is symbolism: the strategic focus should be on what your brand stands for as well as how your brand delivers and executes in the eyes of the consumer.So who’s managing your brand? Do you have a brand manager? I think we’d all agree that brand management is critical for profitable growth. But having said that, it’s surprising how many companies have numerous product category managers yet no brand managers.Here are three areas of your business to closely examine when it comes to brand management.Product: Regardless of what business you’re in, it all starts with your product. No matter how great your service might be, if your product is unreliable and inferior, you’re not going to be around very long.Just look around; how many businesses have disappeared from the American landscape due to poor product quality or the inability to adapt and change their product offering as consumers tastes have evolved and changed.Having a quality product no longer gives you a competitive advantage; it is instead th

ints, and leave them with a clear understanding of what you want them to do next.

The more powerfully you can end your communication, the more easily remembered it will be by your audience.

2. CLARITY

Be clear about the messaqe you want to deliver, as giving a confused message to your audience only ends up with them being confused and your message being ignored.

It's far better and clearer for your audience if you create a separate communication about these ancilliary issues.

3. CONSISTENCY

Nothing more upsets a regular reader of, say, your newsletter than inconsistency of your message.

Taking a position on an issue one week, only to overturn it the next, then overturn THAT position the following week, only breeds distrust in your message.

And distrust in you!

People who distrust you are exceedingly unlikely to take the action you wish them to take. They are also highly unlikely to pay any attention to your future messages.

As well as consistency amongst multiple messages, be aware that inconsistency within your message can be just as deadly to audience comprehension.

4. MEDIUM

Is It Time To Start Paying Commissions To Customer Service Reps?
You pay commission for each closed sales to your sales reps. You don't pay any commission to your customer service reps. Perhaps you should. Perhaps it's time to start paying commissions to your customer service reps. Here's why.You know that you need to compensate your top sales performers well. Commission is a big part of their remuneration package. Top sales performers will move on and work elsewhere if they are not competitively compensated for the revenue that they generate for your organization.But, studies have shown that it costs less to keep a current customer than it does to convert a new one. Top customer service reps know how to keep current customers, keep them happy, and keep them buying from your organization.With that in mind, ask yourself the following question: Could your firm afford to lose its top customer service reps? I think not.When a customer service rep saves an unhappy customer from canceling an account, it saves a sales rep from having to sell a new account. When a customer service rep cross-sells an existing client it saves a sales rep from having to sell a new client. When a customer service rep renews an order, it saves a sales rep from having to generate a new order.As you see, a customer service rep can generate revenue from existing clients and a top-performing customer service rep can generate just as much revenue for your firm that a sales rep can.So, should you pay commissions to your customer service reps? If you can't afford to lose them to a firm that would, then you need to start paying commissions to your customer service reps. It really is that simple.

, then overturn THAT position the following week, only breeds distrust in your message.

And distrust in you!

People who distrust you are exceedingly unlikely to take the action you wish them to take. They are also highly unlikely to pay any attention to your future messages.

As well as consistency amongst multiple messages, be aware that inconsistency within your message can be just as deadly to audience comprehension.

4. MEDIUM

If the only tool you have in your toolbag is a hammer, pretty soon everything starts to look like a nail.

Similarly, if all you believe you have as a communications tool is PowerPoint then pretty soon all you'll do is reduce very communications opportunity to a PowerPoint presentation. And as any of us who have sat through one too many boring slideshows will attest, "seen one, seen 'em all."

There are a myriad of was you can deliver your message - the trick is to use the right one.

Which is the right one?

The one that communicates your message:

with the greatest accuracy

with the largest likelihood of audience comprehension

at the lowest fiscal cost

at the lowest time cost

Note: it must meet all of these criteria. There's absolutely no value in spending the least amount of money if the medium you choose doesn't deliver on any of the other criteria.

So what media are available? You have a choice from any one or combination of the following:

* paper-based memo * letter * one-to-one face-to-face presentation * seminar * one-to-one phone presentation * meeting * one-to-many personal presentation * plain text email * one-to-many phone presentation * text + graphics email * voice email * webpage * webcast/webvideo * radio broadcast * television broadcast * press release * tv/film commercial * cd-rom/dvd

Choosing the right medium or media is obviously critical, as the fiscal costs of some in the above list are higher than others. Get the media mix wrong and you could end up spending a whole lot of time and money on a very visually attractive business communication that delivers next-to-zero ROI (return on investment).

5. RELEVANCY

It never ceases to amaze me that business managers still believe that everyone would be interested in their message—and then proceed to subject any and everyone they can find to a horrendous PowerPoint slideshow put together by a well-meaning but aesthetically-challenged subordinate.

Screen-after-screen of lengthy text, in a small barely legible font size (because a small font size is the only way to fit all of the words onto the slide), which the manager duly and dully reads verbatim.

Ugh!

The psychological reality is that unless a person is interested in the subject of the message they are highly unlikely to pay any attention.

Which means that if you force them to attend to your message you will actually turn them against you and be even less likely to receive their attention in the future.

Save your in-depth budget and performance analysis Excel-generated charts for those who genuinely care and need to know about such things.

If your business communication needs to touch on several areas that might not be of interest to your entire audience, let them know of alternative resources that more fully address each of these additional areas.

You can do this by, for example, providing them with an easily-remembered and written link to a webpage where a greater depth of information can be stored.

6. PRIMACY/RECENCY

It is essential to know that, one week later, a business communication is remembered by one or both of two things:

the power and memorability of its opening

the power and memorability of its close

Psychologists call the effect of re

HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.suggestyou.com/article/24662/suggestyou-The-Seven-Essentials-of-Business-Communication.html">The Seven Essentials of Business Communication</a>

BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.suggestyou.com/article/24662/suggestyou-The-Seven-Essentials-of-Business-Communication.html]The Seven Essentials of Business Communication[/url]

Have you been considering a career in the engineering industry but you would like to know more about it first? A lot of people consider this as a career, but they are not really sure where to start and therefore, they could make the wrong decisions.

The 3 steps you can take to work at home and earn extra income. Logical steps that will help anybody start on the right path to succes when planning on starting their own business.

Based on recent breakthrough Doctoral research, by Dr Howard Edward Haller, into how overcoming adversity has shaped prominent leaders, this article tells the background and story of one of the leader’s experience with overcoming adversity and becoming a very successful leader. This is Zig Ziglar's story:

Tags

Links

Suggest You - The Seven Essentials of Business Communication

Related Articles: