Building strong business communication in your professional relationships may seem daunting. Once you start thinking about the time investment on your part, you may find yourself caught in engagement paralysis instead of finding motivation to take action. Here are 4 quick steps to take for better communication practices.
Contact information routinely changes. Your contacts may change jobs, get a new position, change to a new office space, or acquire a new telephone number. You need to be actively seeking this information because the business professional you want to work with may not have had the time to notify you yet. Checking in once a quarter to make sure all your contact information is current is key in maintaining good relationships. Simultaneously, it is essential to send a quick note when you discover any new contact information.
Event based communication is one of the easiest ways to communicate in your professional relationships. Birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays are easy ways to connect. You can also make a more personal connection by learning more about your connections and interacting during events that matter to them, such as Veterans Day or Grandparent’s Day.
You may not want to spend time interacting at professional meetings, but the reason for making these connections is clear. You get business from other lawyers. There are two types of lawyers you’re interacting with at these functions – the ones who don’t do what you do and the ones who do. You need to be meeting and stay top of mind with the attorneys who need you as a go-to referral when they’re contacted by someone who needs your services. Don’t disregard the fact that attorneys in your practice area need you too. They will have times when they can’t or don’t want to take a case and need someone they trust to refer the case to.
Not every communication you make has to be one-on-one. You can still make an impact when you’re meeting multiple business professionals at an event. The key here is to make contact at the event and to follow up after. A quick note post-meeting is a great way to let the person know you enjoyed seeing them and to make a large scale environment personal.
What steps do you take in your business? What do you find are the best ways to motivate yourself to action and stay up-to-date? No matter what you do, get and stay involved with your business network. Use these 4 quick steps to enhance your communication practices and continue to grow your reach this year.
