Positive Communication

Confidence is everything when we're in a client facing role, and it doesn't come naturally to a lot of people, but as it's now proven - you can fake it until you make it!

Adopt a positive attitude that suits your company brand (or one you admire) - We're the experts, we're can do, and we're the best. Believe that when you're speaking to people and you'll see a difference in their response.

Make Introductions - if you don't know everyone in the room or teams meeting, make sure you introduce yourself. "Hi before we start I'm X, I manage the XX and XX" People who don't know your face but may have met you over email will appreciate it.

Use positive tone and language with your clients. "Yes I can help with that..." "Let me look into that for you..." anything that shows willingness to help the customer. You can also empower the client with language as well, making sure they know you are positively listening - "That's a good point..." "Yes you are right..." "That's a great idea..." "Yes I understand..."

Avoiding doubt or negativity in your language - "I'm sorry and I apologise for this inconvenience." becomes "Thanks for understanding and we'll do what we can to resolve the unexpected inconvenience." 

"I'm not sure I'm going to have to get some help." becomes "So I can make the best use of your time here, do you mind if I get my colleague who specialises in this?" or "I want to make sure we get the right information for you, let me speak to my colleague and I will come back to you later today"

"Can I follow up via email?" becomes "This looks quite detailed. Do you mind if I spend some more time digging into this on my end and I can follow up with you via email later today?"

Show empathy - understanding their frustrations doesn't mean you have to comply with them but will help them feel like they are being heard and that you see their point of view. As simple as "That sounds really difficult / I'm sorry you feel that way / That must be frustrating for you..."

Demonstrate confidence and capability - being enthusiastic is great, however too much can make them think you're being too jokey, not enough and they don't think you have engaged enough. It's a fine balance and can often be misread. 

If you are unsure, try mirroring them. If they are smiling and enthused about what they are doing - do the same. If they look worried and concerned, show them a face that understands that.

Answer professionally and promptly - going back to another adaption of BIFF. If you are brief, informative, friendly and FAST you'll get a lot of brownie points for answering when the client needs it. However don't mistake speed for helpfulness. They would rather you answer them correctly, then make a mistake answering them quickly.

Delegate but follow up. Do not assume the responsibility has disappeared, you are still the one the client has trusted with the query, so you need to ensure it happens still. 

Give the person you delegate to clear parameters - let them know when an answer is due by, tell them if you expect them to respond or if it needs to come via you. It's best if you are the one to gather and pass on the information, especially if you are the long term relationship holder. 

If you need to pass on that relationship, make sure you introduce them, explain what they will be doing in advance of passing on the client, then go to the client and give them the same introduction to the delegate.