10 Rules for Effective Communication Client's Side of the Story December 3, 2016
About Speaker Dev-Pro.net - Founded 2011 (Team of 210+ in Kharkov, Ukraine). 1. Validio Software, LLC - Partner from 1998. Sold to GlobalLogic in 2. January 2008. CustomCD - Founded 2005. Sold to Digital River in January 2008. 3. CD LabelCorp - Founded 1996. Shut down in 2008. 4. GraphicCorp - Founded 1993. Sold to Corel Corporation in April 1999. 5. DomainOptions, Inc - Founded 2010. Continues to operate. 6. SpellChecker.net - Founded 2000. Sold to WebSpellChecker.net LLC in 7. 2016. AwardWallet - Joined 2011. 330,000 users and multiple B2B clients. 8. Markupr.net - Founded November 2012. Technology development 9. phase. TravelConfirm - Founded 2010. Shut down 2011. 10. 2
At Dev-Pro.net we sell a service . Effective communication is our competitive advantage http://dev-pro.net/effective-communication 3
Imagine Your Client Right Now No time 1. In motion 2. Limited connectivity 3. Hundreds of e-mails in his 4. Inbox Needs up-to-date information, 5. easy and fast Makes business decisions 6. every minute 4
#1 Do not waste your client's time Be concise and short 1. Don't "Bury the lead" 2. Highlight important questions 3. Answer all the questions before they are asked 4. 5
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#2 Help them respond within 10 sec, if their input is needed Explicitly mention whose approval / thoughts / 1. answers you expect to receive Learn to write OK messages 2. Numbered lists instead of bullets 3. Continuous numbering 4. Give all the required information for approval 5. (check list) 7
Response to perfect e-mail: 8
#3 If possible, let them not even open the e-mail 9
#3 If possible, let them not even open the e-mail 10
#4 Acknowledge the client's message ... Do not just silently start the work With no acknowledgement there is room for imagination: You haven't seen the e-mail a) You saw the e-mail, but do not consider it as an b) important You just don't care c) Electricity is turned off in Ukraine d) You flew to Mars e) 11
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.. and keep them constantly updated If client asks you for status update - you failed 1. Provide full visibility on status, following agreed 2. frequency and format Points that are important for client: cost, why this 3. should, timeframe, risks 13
#5 If you see the problem be honest and escalate it fast Inform the client/your management of the issue as 1. soon as you identify it It is not a problem - it is how you react to it. Give 2. options and recommendations Warning client about issue doesn't mean he heard you 3. Do not suggest/ask about something you cannot deliver 4. 14
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#6 Partnership means visibility and solving issues together Copy your top management / superiors in all 1. correspondence with clients Share issues and risks with your top management / 2. superiors, prepare them for escalation 16
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#7 Invent tools to support high communication standards DRAFT is tool for: Validation. Clients are very-very difficult to get and 1. easy to lose. Education and knowledge sharing 2. Discussions and sharing opinions 3. http://dev-pro.net/drafts 18
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#8 Remember that your goal is result, not the process No response from a client is a potential problem 1. Follow up until the goal is achieved 2. Don’t leave open topics 3. Don’t send an email and leave the office at once. Stay 4. for at least 15 minutes 20
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#9 Be professional even in smallest details Do not use a variety of fonts 1. Spellcheck 2. Don't make the Client do the math 3. Setup a proper signature 4. Use proper greetings 5. 22
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#10 Make sure there is no room for misunderstanding Follow currency and date formats 1. Spell months to avoid confusion 2. Don’t use a dash as a punctuation mark before 3. numbers. It will look like a negative number Use ‘.’ as a decimal mark and ‘,’ as a delimiter 4. (1,000.00) 24
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THANK YOU 27
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