Branding Your Business: Verbal Communication

Nothing can destroy your reputation faster than poor verbal communication skills. You are your brand. Your reputation can make or break your brand. My three tips will aid you in presenting you and your business in a confident and polite manner thus creating a strong brand.
1. Avoid slang: If your customers are professionals and of a certain age they do not appreciate when someone speaks to them using slang. They view the person as rude, disrespectful and uneducated. Today we are a very mobile multicultural society. When you use slang you run the risk of offending someone or the person may just not understand what is being said.

2. Avoid fillers: Avoid using umm’s and ahhh’s. This makes you appear scared, nervous and possibly lying or that you don’t know what you are talking about. If you do not know what to say just stay quiet. If you do not know the answer admit you do not know and excuse yourself to go find the answer. Speak with confidence. This may require practice and doing your homework by learning about your products and services.

3. Use manners: Everyone enjoys being around people that use their manners. This means using words such as please, thank you, you’re welcome and excuse me. You may also want to have your employees address customers as Sir or Ma’am. When customers and staff use their manners everyone feels they are being treated with respect.

Does your use of your language present your business the way you want your brand to be remembered? Have you ever taken time to think about how you want to be viewed by your customers and clients? Do you want to be seen as professional, fun loving, hip and trendy, or what? Do you have written in your employee handbook how you want your employees to address your customers or clients? Do you conduct employee training and allow them to role play and practice their verbal communication skills?

Branding your business through verbal communication is something that should not be overlooked if you want to continue to grow your business.