Listen for Clues from Your Employees & Clients

Business owners, project managers and marketing directors may not always speak the same language, but they’ve got to learn to communicate to do their specific jobs. If you run a business or you’re in charge of a project, you want to deal with people who have the same basic values and principles as you do. In general, there are two maxims that reflect this attitude:

1. People do business with people and companies they like. If you don’t think this is true, consider all the business British Petroleum (BP) lost after its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Most people support the businesses they respect and want to succeed.
    
2. When everyone’s on the same page, business flows smoothly and effortlessly. In an ideal world, your marketing department speaks to your web development team. Everyone in your company is working toward the same goals. If you talk at people, you don’t listen for clues of understanding.

To find out if the people you’re dealing with in business are a good fit for you and your company, you need to listen for clues when you meet for the first time. Probe a little and know what you’re looking for in their answers. This may sound like a job for a psychology or management graduate, but you can master the technique by adopting some simple steps.

Choose Committed Employees and Likable Clients

You may entertain the notion that hiring the right employees, signing the best contractors, choosing the most reliable vendors and finding the easiest clients to work with are completely distinct processes. You’re wrong. All of these things — which nearly every business does — are related more closely than you may realize.

Yes, you have to master some listening skills to really hear what people say to you, but the first step in that process is knowing what to listen for. When you listen for clues, you pick them up effortlessly, which feeds your decision-making process, whether it involves a client, a contractor, a vendor or an employee.

Tips for Making the Best Connections

Learning anything new is a process. Learning to listen for clues is the same. Follow these steps to hire more dedicated employees and sign up clients who are easier to work with:

1. Identify your company values. Before you can align with someone else’s values, you have to know your own. Spend the time necessary to come up with a list of values that matter to you as the business owner or project manager. It’s usually something other than the bottom line. It may involve quality, education, satisfaction or challenges. Whatever it is, make sure you not only know it, but keep it in the forefront of your mind for every business transaction.
    
2. Keep a list of what you’re seeking. When you’re hiring, you most likely have a list of duties and responsibilities. That’s the easy part. Now consider what you’re looking for in the person you want to hire. Timeliness? Courtesy? Professionalism? Reasonableness? Eager? Teachable? Whatever you want, make sure it’s on the list. Now you know what you’re looking for — and what questions to ask in an interview.
    
3. Consider communication styles. People communicate differently, just as people learn differently. When you’re cognizant of your preferred communication style, find others who match that style. It speeds up your communication and makes it clearer. For example, do you ask a lot of questions? Do you appreciate someone who does or do you find it annoying? Your answers tell you what to look for in an employee, contractor, vendor and even a client.
    
4. Know your management style. If you’re hands-off in your management approach, you expect employees to ask if they don’t understand an assignment. If you’re hands-on, you actively check to make sure your charges understand what’s expected of them. These are two very different management styles. Wherever you fall along the spectrum, find others who can fill the role that’s best for you. Listen for clues about how they work, and this applies to every business relationship.
    
5. Ask the right questions. Once you’ve done the preliminary work, you have a much better idea what you’re looking for from an employee, contractor, vendor or client. During your interview process, ask pointed questions about expectations and work processes. Go directly to the issues that matter to you to explore their values and to set expectations. Listen for clues and watch their body language. Most of what people communicate is non-verbal.
    
6. Get everyone on board. When you hire a new employee or sign on a new client, talk to your partner or your team. Collect everyone’s input and make sure everyone feels heard. When you bring your team together toward one decision, everyone lands on the same page of positive expectations. If an issue arose during the interview or contract stage, everyone shares an awareness of the issue and is better prepared to handle related problems. It’s more than communication; it’s preparation.
    
7. Check references. Before you make an offer to a new employee, contractor or vendor, check all possible references. You may learn something new or you may confirm something you suspected. Before you sign up a new client, do your due diligence. Speak to your point-of-contact. Check the Better Business Bureau for non-payment or other issues. This extra work prevents future headaches.

Solving Problems Before They Become Problems

Consider the internal problems two distinct businesses face when they merge. If the company cultures clash, a power struggle for supremacy may rip the merged company apart. When America Online and Time Warner merged, the process hurt both businesses. That’s what makes international business so fraught with peril. When cultures collide, you’re not sure how to listen for clues to read the people you’re dealing with.

Business is tough enough. Make it as easy as possible in your business relationships. When you’re dealing with people you like, everything may become easier and more enjoyable!

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