Communication Mistakes That Can Cost You Clients

Communication is at the core of life and existence. Almost everything we do in our daily lives relies on smooth and effective communication with the people around us. Any laps or mistake in communication can hamper our daily lives and frustrate our goals. And when it comes to communication mistakes in business, it means missing out on worthy clients and losing money. It is as simple as that.

Here, in this complete introduction to "communication mistakes" we will present to you a list of communication problems and solutions to arm you with the effective mindset to avoid such damaging things for your business. Let’s dive in.

Types of Communication Mistakes:

At first, let’s have a look at the types of communication mistakes under which all the common communication mistakes are made. There are basically 4 types of communication mistakes that you can make in your day to day business activities.

1. Choosing the Wrong Format

Many of the communication mistakes happen due to choosing the wrong format of communication. As in, if you use a text message when an email would have afforded a better impression then you are making a mistake.

2. Using Wrong Messages

This type of communication mistake involves the words you use to communicate your message. If you are not using the right words, then you are into all sorts of trouble.

3. Flawed Attitude or Tonality

When you are in a business setup and communicating with your clients, the way you carry yourself is of profound importance. So, if you are not getting and emitting the right vibrations, you are committing mistakes.

4. Not Making Sure that the Communication Happened

It is one of the most common yet most dangerous of the types of communication mistakes you can commit. You may think that you have communicated everything that you wanted to, but have you made sure that your audience really understood properly?

Communication Problems and Solutions:

Now that we have known the types of communication problems we are faced with in our day to day business dealings, let’s focus on some of the common communication problems and how to solve them.

Not Giving a Clear Picture of Yourself

It is one of the major communication problems that cost you clients. If you fail to clearly project what your business is all about then you will fall into all sorts of troubles. You will keep having clients that were not a proper fit in the first place and you will lose clients that are perfect for your business. In both cases, you are missing out on valuable clients. In order to avoid such communication mistakes in business, you must have a clear perception of your business as well as portray this persona in each and every of your business messages and processes. Use your ‘about us’ page to make this communication with ease and perfection.

Multitasking

Often, we see people bragging about being able to multitask. But when it comes to business communication, multitasking is a mistake. If you are not giving your full attention to what your clients are saying to you, you are not only committing a mistake but also disrespecting the individual who hopes to be helped by you. Besides, without listening wholeheartedly to your clients, you will also miss out on understanding the client’s business and objectives clearly. But having a clear idea about these things are crucial for your work. So, in today’s world of constant distractions, you should give utmost importance to solely focus on the task at hand when you are communicating with your clients.

Reacting Instead of Responding

This falls under the type of having the wrong attitude about communication. In business communication, you have a certain goal to achieve through your communication. And the best way to do so is by responding ingeniously instead of reacting impulsively. When you react, you are just going where the flow is taking you. But if you respond consciously, you are steering the communication towards the direction you want to take it.

Failing to Ask the Questions

This communication issue bars you from understanding your client’s agenda and what they want from you. If you fail to ask the questions that matter in order to understand your client’s business properly, you will not be able to implement your project with them effectively. This will lead to failure and lost trust.

Not Setting the Terms Properly

Another one of the dangerous communication mistakes in business is not clearly setting the terms of your dealings. Issues like the fees, deadlines and other details of the working process need to be clearly defined and understood by all the parties involved in the communication process. Failure to do so can result in all sorts of misunderstanding while you start working on the project. Also, have clear communication about the fees and timeline of any additional work that may come up once the project starts to roll.

Lack of Ongoing Follow Up

This is another mistake that many of us end up committing. But you should always remember that your clients invested money in you and they need to be reassured that you care. So, regular interaction about the ongoing project is essential not only to build trust but also to bounce back any important issues regarding the task. It is always better to be on the same page while the project is going on instead of finding out that the clients wanted things to be different and you ending up overhauling the whole project.

Although this list of communication problems is not exhaustive, it covers most of the common and most dangerous communication mistakes in business. So, keep an eye for these mistakes and make sure you do not make any.