At QuantumShift’s leadership development program, one of the many tips that attendees received was that in order to succeed as an entrepreneur, they would have to dedicate themselves to a life of learning. Focusing on improving yourself and a dedication to knowledge of all types was a main ingredient to having a successful business.

While many balked at first, thinking this meant continuing education, what was really meant by this was learning more about yourself, more about your customers, your product and anything else you were interested in. It was the actual learning experience that brought the owners of these companies to the forefront and helped them keep up with ever changing business demands.

They found it was not so much about balancing learning with their other interests, as it was about priorities. One of those priorities should be to always learn. In today’s quickly evolving business community, knowing what you need to do is just as important as finding the time to do it. We all have the same 24 hours a day, yet some people seem to accomplish all they set out to do, while others don’t do much of anything.

There is also a difference between information and knowledge, which leads to wisdom. Many of us have lots of facts that we have memorized or data that is stored in our brains. We have access to tons of information online. However, knowledge is being able to interpret this information, analyze it and put it to use.

Changing your daily routine and realizing that each thing you do is a choice, will gradually result in a change in your life and these business owners found that the more they became interested in not only various aspects of their business but hobbies and subjects which were far outside of the scope of business, the more they found different ways to provide new services for their customers. The small act of even the simplest changes seemed to activate something that evolved gradually and then began to pick up steam.

Looking back, in the past, what these entrepreneurs were gathering would have been considered knowledge, a general understanding of various skills and principles, but most of us have lost the ability (or interest!) to learn in this way. Discovering a new way to do something routine or adding to what we already know and then applying it to our lives seems to be a lost art.

Amid all of the other tips that these entrepreneurs received, they realized that learning in a classroom or learning a new business skill has somehow become more important than expanding their interests. What small business owners are now finding out is that learning itself is a skill, and if they wish to excel, learning must be practised.

© Copyright 2016 Chris Draper  All rights reserved.

image courtesy of henley.ac.uk

Though effective communication is considered an interpersonal skill, it also forms the basis of all learning skills and eventually becomes a necessary leadership tool. A large part of communicating as a business owner will also involve your writing skills. If your ability to get your message across with the written word isn’t the best, this is one area where you may want to hire an assistant.

Success in business will depend upon your ability to develop relationships with your customers. Unfortunately, we live in a time where telephones are rarely answered and texting has become more common than conversation. Because of this, communicating through speech is becoming a lost art. Take special care not to lose yours because it is still one of the most important business needs.

Your ability to inspire others to come up with new ideas through collaborating can only be done if you are able to communicate those ideas to business colleagues and other business owners you work with. Simplify complicated information. This is particularly useful when dealing with customers. Leave out the technical details and stick to specifics.

Use your own way of speaking. Nothing turns off most clients more than a business owner who uses every current buzz word around. While it’s great to be yourself, remember to listen to the customer’s opinion. There are some business owners who confuse opinion with fact and their way is the only way. Don’t be one of those business owners. Remember, this is also important at any time. I doubt that your friends and family want to listen to your self-righteousness ravings either 🙂

The better your communication skills, the more you can expand your business to include new customers who would normally be outside of your reach. Know when to ask questions and when to listen. Your customers know when you’re listening and when you’re not concentrating on them because you’re occupied with what you’re going to say to them next.

Eye contact is important, it build trust. Have you ever spoken to someone who is extremely awkward socially? They usually look away from you and their posture shows how uncomfortable they are with speaking to you. Make sure that your body language can be read as relaxed and interested. While it’s a good idea to use a customer’s name, don’t overuse it by interjecting it into every sentence. That is just annoying and your customer will pick up on it right away.

Becoming an effective communicator takes time. It’s best to just be yourself and not try too hard. Communication is high on the list of “most wanted” by customers and it’s a skill that can be used in multiple ways to grow your business.

© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc. 2015

image courtesy of businessknowhow