I went on an Instagram rant pertaining to Women of Color in business a few weeks ago and it resonated with so many of you all. Whether you’ve attempted to work with a black-owned business, or are the owner of a business who lacks the communication it needs to flourish, most of us have experienced multiple incidents where we try and circulate money in our communities but can’t because the business owner won’t allow us to due to their lack of response. It frustrates me so badly, because I’m so passionate about supporting, growing and working with women in business. I can recall so many instances where I’ve wanted to work with women, but had to reach out multiple times to get a response, if I even got one at all and for that reason, I’ve kept my money in my pocket or spent it elsewhere. Communication, or a lack of it can easily kill your business if you don’t use it as an advantage between you and your potential customers.
Not everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur and that is OK! Some of us are only good at creating the product, or providing the service, but lack the customer service portion of what makes businesses successful. I don’t want that to be you! If you are going to go into business for yourself, it is imperative that you learn to master the basic skills of communication. Unfortunately, customer service reigns over product or service so how well you communicate with your customers is going to play a larger role than how good you are at what you do. Studies show customers are much more likely to purchase a product they like from a business (or person) that provides great, reliable customer service over a product they love that comes with a negative customer service experience. If you’re going into business for yourself, I strongly advise you to keep communication at the forefront of your priorities. Here are 4 ways you can avoid communication killing your business –
Stay on Top of Your Emails
Email is the #1 form of communication in business. If you’re not checking yours regularly, you’re doing business all wrong. Put your email on your phone and check it frequently. You must come up with a system to stay on top of your emails. If that means that you need to set up automation, or hire an intern to respond on your behalf, it needs to be done. You or your business truly can not afford to miss or allow emails to go ignored. Find a method that works best for you and implement it as soon as you can!
Flag them
One thing I know for sure is how easy it is to get distracted from an email that you’ve opened and read it, but failed to reply to. I had a bad habit of reading emails on my phone with the intention to respond, but once they were marked as read I’d forget all about ’em. This was detrimental to my projects at work and with growing my own personal business. Once I began flagging emails that needed my attention, I broke that habit. I also would mark emails as “unread” after I’d read them, to make sure that I circled back to them when I had the time to actually respond.
Choose a Preferred Method of Communication + Stick With It
If you want your customers to email you, make sure that you read and respond to emails. If you require that they book you through an app or online site, check it often for messages or changes! If you ask them to call you, please make sure you answer your phone when it rings or return phone calls. Simple stuff, right? Most opportunities to make money are very time sensitive, so if you allow too much time to pass the opportunity will as well.
Designate a Time
I run around all day long, every single day but one thing that I make sure I do is set aside a designated time to dedicate to reading and responding to comments and emails. I skim through my DM’s and check for any that may be asking questions pertaining to blogging or business, I check and respond to the comments on my latest Instagram posts and I go through my email to reply to potential customers, or brands that have reached out to me. If you want to make this time every other evening at 9 pm, or Saturday mornings at 9 am that’s fine. Just make sure it’s often enough to where you’re not spending hours on it, because if it feels like too much of a chore you’ll avoid it.
Do you struggle with this? Have you dealt with a business that has changed your mind due to lack of communication? In what ways do you ensure that your communication in your business is going strong? Share with me below!
