B2B Communications - Show Your Appreciation

Today is my oldest son's 12th birthday. Despite the fact that he had an orthodontist appointment this morning, the rest of the day has been spent showering him with attention - buying him a new pair of flipflops for post-hockey game wear, baking his favorite cake and letting him lick the icing off the mixer's beaters, and reminding him of the story of the day he was born.

So what does this have to do with The WordSlingers' October back to basic (B2B) communication theme. Well, whether its someone in your family or someone who does business with you, everyone likes to feel appreciated. As I've said many times on this blog, small businesses have the advantage over large in that they are more often than not, closer in physical proximity and in rapport. So you can get an even bigger bang for your appreciation buck. Here are few tips:

• Remember customers don't have to buy from you - they could choose not to buy at all or they could choose another vendor. When they choose you, make sure they know you appreciate that choice. Those 2 little words - thank you - go a long way.
• No one ever tires of being showered with attention - keep your customers coming back to you because you provide them personalized service that they don't get elsewhere.
• Make it a point to know your repeat customers and acknowledge to them that you realize they've made recurrent purchases.

There are many more ways to show your appreciation and make your customers feel special. Figure out what works with your particular communication style, your type of business and your target market and then make it a part of every interaction with your customers.

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B2B Communications - Always Double Check Your Work

B2B Communications - Making a Good 1st Impression

B2B Communications - Think Before You Speak

B2B Communications - Handling Business Invitations with Style

B2B Communications - A Refresher

B2B Communications - Stay in Touch with Your Customers

Yes, today's back to basic (B2B) communication tip is one I'm guilty of breaking at present - staying in touch with your customers. I've been out of the blogosphere since last week, busy writing web content, press releases and more for some of my key clients but ignoring the rest.

I do have a bit of an excuse - my son is home sick with the flu which has limited my time significantly. But there is always an excuse for slacking off on frequent customer communication. The trick is once you realize you have slacked off, jump right back on the bandwagon and reconnect, like I am.

Here are some easy ways to stay in frequent contact with customers. You can use them by themselves or in conjuction with each other:

• A monthly or quarterly newsletter either via email or by mail
• Promotional emails with special offers
• Weekly phone calls - pick a doable number of customers each week to check in on via phone
• Drop in visits - same as the phone calls, pick a couple a week to go see in person
• Postcards with customer tip or a special offer
• Host a special event for customers at your place of business

October is almost over but we've still got two more B2B tips before the month is out. So keep visiting The WordSlingers blog.

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B2B Communications - Always Double Check Your Work

B2B Communications - Making a Good 1st Impression

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B2B Communications - A Refresher

Visit us at http://www.thewordslingers.com/.

B2B Communications - Always Double Check Your Work

As I was growing up, my father owned a small business that manufactured laminate-covered countertops, shelves, bookcases and more for schools, libraries and laboratories. Having felt the sting of this recession, I now have a much better understanding of the stresses he was under. I distinctly recall periods during the 1970s when he would come home every night and say, well I think we'll break even this month. Looking back, I think he was, in fact, willing that sentence to be true because, with 6 children and a wife to feed, he had no other choice.


It was a family business from the get go although many of the employees were not related to us, they just became a part of our world. For my father, they were the people who helped keep the business going day in and day out amidst the sawdust in their immediate surroundings and the oil embargo/gas shortages swirling around them causing their own personal strife. For my siblings and I, they were the spice that flavored our nightly dinner conversation.


By the time I was a teenager, I followed in the tradition of my two older sisters - that is filling in for my father's secretary during the summer months so that she could spend that time with her children without risk of losing her job. It was an invaluable learning experience. For one, my father could be intimidating as it was, he was very old school, but second it was him in his professional milieu which added another layer of austerity to his personality. It was a window into his world where he multi-tasked before that even became a term.


His golden rule was always double check your work. This was back in the days before Quicken or Quickbooks and all accounts payable, receivable and payroll were done by hand with the help of an adding machine (oh, how I loved the sound of it calculating up the final total). Following his rule, I did as I was told for I certainly didn't want to disappoint him. I would double and triple check my figures to make sure the monthly AP total was correct, or the right FICA had been taken out of someone's paycheck. If I didn't, that could potentially mean squandering hard earned money.


It is a lesson that has stuck with me to the present and it is the back to basic (B2B) communication tip for today. Technology has made not only math functions quicker and easier, but writing functions as well. But sometimes that speed also comes with its share of mistakes. We are so ready to send off an email, post to our blog, or bang out that service quote, that we forget to double check our work. The result - typos, grammatical mistakes, unprofessional looking work, a bad impression, potential loss of business, etc.


It usually only takes a few minutes to follow this golden rule but it pays off every time. Rarely do I not find a mistake and breathe a sigh of relief that I did not send the communication off with it. Maybe the recipient wouldn't have noticed anyway, but I'm not willing to take that chance and I don't recommend that you do either. Our hard earned reputations and money are too valuable.


Related Posts - The B2B Series from The WordSlingers

B2B Communications - Making a Good 1st Impression
B2B Communications - Think Before You Speak
B2B Communications - Handling Business Invitations with Style
B2B Communications - A Refresher

B2B Communications - Making a Good 1st Impression

The last year or two of economic blues has taken its toll on people's wallets and their patience. In thinking about our October theme of back-to-basic (b2b) communications, I wanted to find some common sense communications approach that could help counter that dispirited mood. And I go back to the simple, yet wise advice my mother ingrained in me - always strive to make a good first impression. I've dealt with this topic before in our monthly business communication article but it's one of those areas that somehow gets overlooked too often.

So here is The WordSlingers' Back to Basics on How to Make a Good First Impression

• Be friendly: It sounds incredibly obvious but sometimes in the midst of our stressed business days, we forget to be friendly. This can be especially consequential when it is a prospect who has walked into your business or called on the phone. Being friendly isn't a choice, it is a must, if you want to be in business.


• Use good grammar: You don't have to sound like an english professor but keep the "ain'ts" out of the conversation. Using good grammar, says you respect the person you're communicating with enough to do so. Think of it as putting on your best business suit for that client meeting. You most likely wouldn't wear a worn out, ugly pair of jeans, so don't use lazy, ugly language.


• Don't interrupt: This has become a hard one because it seems that everyone interrupts everyone else these days. Just watch the Today show, the View or Nancy Grace. Everyone is so interested in having their say that they can't wait their turn to talk. When communicating with a prospect, being a better listener, i.e. with no interruptions, will make you a better talker when it is your turn to speak.


• Limit profanity: Yes, even this southern writer likes to throw out an expletive now and then but in business doing so can be very unprofessional. Limit your profanity or at least refrain from using it until you know your audience well enough to know if that f bomb is considered a part of the business lexicon or an immediate deal killer. It can go either way so keep it to yourself until you've assessed your audience.
• Know your audience: Doing a little research before hand, either about a specific business client or your target consumer market in general, can help you determine the best communication approach to use. Like I said above, for some audiences, using a bit of profanity is what gets you into the club. Or adjusting your colloquisms can engender yourself to a particular audience. Just make sure you don't go too far. You still need to come across as genuine, interested but genuine.

We all want our small business to stand out to our potential customers. Putting forth the effort to make a good first impression (and second, and third, etc) can make a real difference. Be a breath of fresh air that shakes up the stagnant atmosphere of your prospects.

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B2B Communications - A Refresher

All I Need to Know About Communicating I Learned in Kindergarten or Shortly Thereafter

Visit us at www.TheWordSlingers.com!

B2B Communications - Think Before Your Speak

Continuing on our theme of back to basic (B2B) communications, today I want to focus on the importance of thinking before your speak - whether that's speaking verbally, virtually (email, twitter, etc) or in written form.

Each of us is bombarded with messages, comments and requests on a daily basis and some of them are pushy, unwanted and aggressive. These types of messages put us on the defensive and sometimes make us downright angry. The urge to fire back a salvo of our own is almost irrestistable.

However, when it comes to communicating under the auspices of your small business (and if you're the owner, that is basically all of the time, even in social settings), the initial gratification of responding with like venom will be fleeting at best. If it's a customer, you've potentially lost them for good. If it's a vendor, you've probably lessened your ability to negotiate. No matter who it is, it really serves you no good to get entangled in their negative tone.

Still, in many cases a response is required. Follow The WordSlingers 3 W's for thinking before you speak or more accurately thinking before your react:

• Walk Away - When that nasty email arrives and you read it, resist the urge to respond immediately. Get up, take a breath, try to put yourself in the sender's shoes and then think about the best way to professionally respond.
• Wait it Out - A nasty comment made during a meeting can be very annoying and a stinging retort may be on the tip of your tongue but anything said or sent in haste can't be taken back. Instead of saying the first thing that comes to your mind when under attack, pull back, wait and contemplate your response.
• Wisely Respond - Think about the end result that you want to gain out of the exchange that is occuring. Once you know what you want, formulate a response that is most likely to achieve your results. And remember in most cases, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Despite that desire to tell some people what you really think, in business you've still got to be professional. Following these tips will help you rise above, potentially salvage a relationship and more likely achieve your goal.

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Find out more about our writing services at http://www.thewordslingers.com/.

B2B Communications - Handling Business Invitations with Style

We've all planned a party, sent out the invitations and then waited for people to respond, only to have the inevitable stragglers who fail to ever RSVP. And quite frankly, at one time or another, we have all probably been guilty of being one of those stragglers. Don't worry, I won't tell your mother, if you won't tell mine.

In social settings, it's rude not to properly respond to an invitation but in business settings, it's not only rude, it's unprofessional. Not a word you want associated with your business no matter what the reason. Not only that, it costs people money when you don't respond and with today's tight budgets that is sure to give you or your company a bad name with the host.

With holiday functions just around the corner, today's back-to-basic (B2B) communication tip is timely.

How to handle invitations to business functions with style:

• Always respond promptly. If you're delaying your response because your schedule or situation changes frequently, highlight your calendar for the date the host requests a response. At that time, you've got no choice but to make a decision.
• Be honest. If you can't attend, just express your regrets and move on. Your host will understand. It's far better to be honest than to say you're going to attend because you're afraid of disappointing them and then not showing. That would be far more disappointing to your host.
• No Need for Lengthy Explanations: Sometimes when we feel guilty about turning down an invitation, we feel the need to make lengthly explanations. Stop. Don't do it. Just politely say you can't make this event but you hope to be able to make the next one.
• Dealing with Last Minute Changes: If you respond affirmatively but something comes up at the last minute, the most professional thing to do is contact your host and briefly explain the situation and express your regrets at having to change your plans.
• Regrets Only: When the invitation says Regrets Only, that means you only have to let the host know if you DO NOT plan to attend. This does not give you license to not let your host know if you have no intention of showing up.
• RSVP: When the invitation says RSVP, a response is required no matter what it is. Whether you plan to attend or not, you need to let your host know.

Remember that when businesses host events, conferences, parties and the like, their planning is based on the responses they receive. Don't be the one who wastes their money and time by not responding properly. Failure to comply with such an easy request can significantly harm your business' reputation, a risk that proves it's not worth it to be lazy.

Stay tuned the rest of this month for more B2B communication tips from The WordSlingers.

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B2B Communications - A Refresher

All I Needed to Know About Communications I Learned in Kindergarten or Shortly Thereafter

B2B Communications - A Refresher

After the Kanye West/Taylor Swift debacle and countless other incidences of downright rude behavior, there has been a call to renew civility and common courtesy in our society. In thinking about civility and business communications, I decided to dedicate the month of October to back-to-basic (B2B) communication tips for small businesses and entrepreneurs. These tips will work no matter whether your business model is business to business (also B2B) or business to consumer (B2C). And they will focus on those basic communication values or ideals that we tend to take for granted but that get us in a whole heap of trouble when we do.

First up is the wise old adage - don't burn your bridges. It can be very tempting to tell off the company that just laid you off or a customer who is late paying their bill but the only thing you will really accomplish by doing that is that you feel an immediate sense of satisfaction. That quickly abates and the end result is your ability to ever go back to that company or person and have a decent relationship has been severely handicapped.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't request that a delinquent customer pay their bill and pay it on time, or express your disappointment at being laid off. What it does mean is that during these interactions, you need to conduct yourself and express yourself in a professional manner that represents you in the best possible light. Many call it taking the high road. And no matter how good it may feel in the heat of the moment to take the low road, the high road yields much greater long term satisfaction and success.

Stay tuned for more B2B communication tips throughout the month of October, right here at http://www.thewordslingers.blogspot.com/.

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Visit us at http://www.thewordslingers.com/