Buying and selling cannot be accomplished without talking. Interpersonal communication is a vital part of business, this does not only refer to business client communication but in-house communication as well. Your customers need to know what you are selling and they would not know if you do not tell them, in the same vein you cannot know that your customer is expressing interest if they do not let you know. 

Business communication can be said to mean the flow of information between businesses and their public; this public is both internal and external. Internal as in staff, and external as in investors, customers, clients, etc. Communication is very important in business, because;

• It helps to avoid conflict; proper communication in business can help in avoiding conflicts and unnecessary court cases. Once terms and conditions are communicated properly and understood, there is a lesser chance of conflict between the parties involved.
• It helps to reduce waste; proper communication can help reduce the waste of time, energy and resources. With proper communication, mistakes can be avoided, thus saving the business money for damages and corrections.
• It speeds up operational processes and growth; with clear communication, more can be achieved in a lesser period. Once clear messages about goals, strategy, and services are communicated, time is saved as everyone is aware of the requirement of their position.
• It builds a good working environment; constant, concise and clear business communication can lead to a conducive working environment for staff, management and clients. This can also go a long way in improving the reputation of a business. 

Challenges to Effective Business Communication

As earlier mentioned, business communication does not only revolve around a business and its client but also, around business management and its staff. Some challenges stand in the way of proper communication, below are a few of such challenges;

• Little or no feedback; this is often a challenge with external communication. Sometimes, it is impossible to get feedback from your clients at the right time, this can slow down a business’ operational process.
• Cultural difference; now this is becoming more of a problem with the advancement of the internet. The internet has made some organizations global, in that they have staff, business partners and clients from all around the world, with different cultural backgrounds and values. How does a business navigate this, to avoid offence? It is quite easy to offend someone with a different culture or to be culturally insensitive. This is a big challenge, as offending people does not amount to any good for a business. 
• Distance; as helpful as Zoom is, some conversations need to be had face to face. The challenge of distance is not as serious as it used to be when there was no alternative to a physical meeting. With technology, there are alternatives nowadays, and most businesses are making good use of them.
• Untrained workforce; a workshop on effective communication for our staff is a must if you want your business to experience effective communication. A set of workers that do not know the basic rudiment of communication would not be able to communicate with the management or their clients. This is a notable challenge, as most staff are untrained in the art of effective business communication.

10 Mistakes Businesses Make in Communication

Most businesses have not entirely mastered the art of communication, and it shows in the day-to-day running of such businesses, as a business that is not communicating properly cannot hide it. Below are a few mistakes that businesses make in communication. Hopefully, this list would help your business avoid such mistakes.

1. Communication Overload; this mistake is born out of enthusiasm. In an attempt to communicate, some businesses tend to over-communicate. There should be a healthy balance. Information should flow within a business and its audience, but not too much information, as information can lead to serious damages if not filtered properly. Everybody should not have access to all information, as some should require a certain level of clearance. Also, do not overburden your clients/ customers with too much useless information.

2. lies; propaganda is one thing, but lies are on a new level. This is what a business must avoid at all costs, as not only does it have long-term effects, but immediate punishment. Most businesses have landed in court cases that crippled them as a result of lying to their clients or even staff. This is a no-no.

3. Zero Strategy; most businesses make the mistake of communicating haphazardly, thinking that they do not need a communication strategy. Business communication is an intentional concept, it needs to be approached with proper planning, and a strategy must be put in place. 

4. Using the wrong language; there is this ever-present temptation to use technical words and jargon in business communication to show competence. This leads to misinterpretation of the information as most people do not understand this jargon. 

5. Inconsistency in communication; one major mistake businesses make in communication is lack of tracking. They do not track their communication process. They do not know what information went out to who. This leads to confusion and misinformation in most cases. This can also lead to clients receiving the same information over and over again, this can be annoying.

How to Communicate Effectively in Business

One key to communicating effectively is avoiding all the mistakes mentioned above. Nevertheless, below are a few ways to communicate effectively in your business

• Be clear and Concise; say exactly what you mean and be clear in your approach. Do not burden your message with jargon and technical terms that your audience cannot decode. If a piece of information is not understood, the purpose for sending is defeated. Try as much as possible to simplify the information that you are trying to pass across. 
• Listen; this cannot be over-flogged. Listen, listen, listen. If you are the only one talking then it is no longer communication. Communicate with the mindset that no man is an island and thus does not know everything, and also to listen for learning purposes, not just to make an argument.
• Be brief and avoid overload; be brief with the information you are passing across, as too many words in most cases equal ambiguity. You do not want to end up confusing your audience. Send out only information that is valuable to your staff, client or partners. Do not overload your audience with information that is not useful to them in an attempt to stay connected, this can become irritating.
• Control your emotions; a business is an entity, and thus should be separated from personal emotions. Keep emotions out when communicating in a business environment, as they can get in the way of reason, which is bad for any business. 

Having explored the importance of effective business communication and its benefit, it is not out of place for a business to be interested in trying out the approaches highlighted in this piece. However, if you are a business failing in communication and need more insight on how to turn around the tide, visit our website @ SmartSMSSolutions. With several years of experience in business communication, SmartSMSSolutions is an authority in the field. We use simple tools such as bulk SMS, email voice calls to build communication and maintain the relationship between our client businesses and their audiences. To learn more about us, visit SmartSMSSolutions, to create a free account and get started, or call 08035515868.