Four steps to better communication

These four steps to better communication will ensure your message is heard with clarity and convinces the audience.

1. Know your market.
   1. What are the standards?
   2. What do your clients expect?
   3. What are your competitors doing?
2. Know your strengths
   1. What makes your product different to your competitors?
   2. How does that benefit the clients?
   3. What is your USP? (and what is that worth?)
   4. What must you do to ensure your USP is delivering something your clients will pay for?
3. Spread the word internally
   1. Draw all staff onto the same page. Having a mission statement is one way of doing this.
   2. Have a strict policy on who can interface with clients.
   3. Train all staff who speak to clients. Remember to include post sale services. Many on-line reviews refer to post sales service.
4. Co-ordinate 
   1. Keep the message clear and consistent.
   2. Review everything you publish, on-line or in print, against your core message. They need not all say the same thing but they do need to complement one another.
   3. Take extra care in briefing temporary or freelance staff such as door to door canvassers.

Remember every contact with a client is a representation of your company and your service and/or products