I talk a lot about communication strategies on this blog because effective communication is vital to success in sales (see last week’s “Take Responsibility for the Quality of Your Communication” blog). There are so many well-intentioned technologists, well-intentioned scientists, well-intentioned building experts, and even well-intentioned salespeople who take a haphazard approach to communication. Without the ability to communicate exactly what they’re trying to say, they’re unable to grab the attention of their audience effectively.
Here’s a question that you should ask yourself before you go to market, whether you’re writing a proposal, making a telephone call, or even composing a simple email: “What does my listener or reader need to know in order to understand and take action?” Everything else is irrelevant. What does the person need to know? What are the action items? It may sound obvious, but if you don’t reinforce this idea in your mind (and take action yourself to ensure that you’re thinking about this before you communicate with someone), you’ll have difficulty moving projects forward.
