Communication FUNdamentals

Jul. 8, 2008

A Day Without Communication is Like...IMPOSSIBLE: Tip#8 Business Ownership

It's been several days since I was able to post here at Communication FUNdamentals!  We drove 7 hours up north to Sacramento to visit my MIL for her birthday.  She is 83!  We got stuck an extra day so I was unable to post Tuesday Tips on Tuesday. So here it is on Wednesday! LOL  Continuing this week with my series, A Day Without Communication is like...IMPOSSIBLE!  You may be able to get through your entire life without ever having to make a speech but you can't get through one single day without communicating something to somebody!   In the last seven weeks, I have shared how communication is important, not just for making speeches or for debate, but for every day life.  I talked about the importance of communication skills in marriage, parenting, defending and sharing your faith, learning, college prep , interviewing for a job, and Job Success.  There are two more major areas of life in which effective communication plays an important role: business ownership and friendships.  Let's talk a bit about business ownership this week. 8. Business Ownership "Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."  -Colossians 4:6 When you own your own business, you wear all the hats in the company!  You are: employee, co worker, the customer service department and the sales department all rolled into one.  Not only do you need the skills we talked about last week for getting the job (getting the account) and climbing the corporate ladder (your own!) but you need sales skills and you need to know how to handle customer issues and perhaps even employee relations.  There are so many other company details that involve communication skills that owners need to master.  An employee doesn't need to worry about the suppliers unless he is the Supply Manager.  If you are the owner of a company, you ARE the Supply Manager!  Little things like getting the most from your relationship with your suppliers can save your company hundreds or even thousands of dollars.  Take my company for example.  A little over five years ago, I began Art of Eloquence with only one study, Say What You Mean for Teens.  I found a wonderful printer, but he didn't usually deal with the public.  He isn't like Kinko's or Copy Max.  He doesn't handle small jobs.  He does printing for large companies like the School District and IBM.  He does mostly manuals and large flyer orders.  He doesn't have a waiting room or a price sheet.  He doesn't need one because he doesn't deal with the public.  He handles most jobs on a case by case or job by job basis.  Because of this, his rates are lower than most of the printers my business associates use for publishing their products.  Furthermore, he doesn't require that I purchase thousands in order to get that discount.  Five years ago, I didn't think I had much of a shot at having him agree to print my studies.  After all, I wasn't going to give him the kind of business the School District did!  I was a start up business with one study wanting to purchase 25 at a time!  How silly, right?  Wrong!! I went in to talk to him that day over five years ago and was able to convince him that I would grow, that I was worth his time.  I was able to persuade him that I may only have been a start up company, but that I would grow quickly and that I was looking for a printer who would grow with me.  I explained my vision for my other studies and how I wanted them printed.  I asked for his input in how the printing should be done.  You know what?  He was surprised that I had already thought through my business plan and he was impressed with my plans to expand my company and the thought I had put into my study.  He was interested in how I researched my market and we discussed homeschooling a bit.  Bottom line: he took me on!  Only a few years later Art of Eloquence had five studies we were having printed there in much higher quantities and SEVERAL times a year!  And we are still growing!  If you own a business, you might be thinking about the following issues: How to save time and money on your supplies. Creating a communication package for your business How to present yourself as an expert in your field How to effectively handle customer service, complaints and returns How to make contacts  Effective use of networking groups  Handling kids and business How/when to share your faith in business How to gain support from family and friends If you have a larger business:  How to motivate your employees How to train your customer service staff How to deal with customer relations and company image issues All of these issues involve mastering certain communication skills!  When you are a business owner, you have to speak effectively to your customers.  Everyone knows how important sales is to a business.  However, you also need to speak effectively to your business associates, employees, suppliers and even to your family and friends!  A business owner's image and company image is vital in communicating with the public.  Eighty seven percent of what people do all day is communication related.  It takes even MORE communication skill to run a business!  "He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend."  -Proverbs 22:11   Next week is the last week for my series "A Day Without Communication is like...IMPOSSIBLE.   I am going to share why communication skills are so vital for making and maintaining friendships.  Stay tuned for my last installment on this topic!  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ JoJo Tabares holds a degree in Speech Communication, but it is her humorous approach to communication skills which has made her a highly sought-after Christian speaker and writer.  Her articles appear in homeschool publications, such as Homeschool Enrichment Magazine and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, which also endorses her Say What You Mean curricula.  You can also find JoJo on web sites such as Crosswalk.com and Dr.Laura.com.  For more information on communication FUNdamentals and Christian-based communication skills for the whole family, including Say What You Mean When You're in Business, please visit http://www.ArtofEloquence.com ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ From JoJo's Purple Crayon... Where's FIMM?  Did you find himm this week? Where's FIMM? Come find the only Foot in Mouth Man picture that is different from all the rest. Email what he looks like and where you found himm to fimm@artofeloquence.com and win a free Art of Eloquence eProduct of your choice!

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