RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Ever whipped up a mouthwatering meal? I'm no MasterChef, but I can hold my own in the kitchen. The process is pretty standard: pick a dish (pasta with marinara is my go-to), find a recipe if needed, gather all the ingredients, follow the steps to put them together, let it simmer, and voila, you've got yourself a tasty meal that everyone adores.

But what happens if you miss an ingredient? Even a small oversight can change the taste significantly. In cooking, every ingredient matters.

Now, you're probably wondering why I'm blabbering about cooking when I should be talking about communication strategies for your business. Well, that's because I love to teach in figurative language (learn more about that in THIS article)! Communicating in business is just like cooking. Every word, phrase, phone call, text, social post, or email is like an ingredient contributing to the overall flavor of your interactions (aka: your clients’ experience with you).

Today, using cooking as a metaphor, we are going to discuss how all the parts (ingredients) of your communication skills and strategies come together to create the masterpiece of your customer experience. This is the cornerstone of your business and directly influences the reputation you build among your peers, clients, partners, and competitors.

Let's get started with understanding your client, which is like knowing your recipe. Every client, like every dish, is unique with specific requirements. Get to know your clients, figure out what they're looking for, and use this knowledge to tailor your communication to their needs. Remember, you can’t make spaghetti sauce from a pudding recipe. Knowing and understanding your client, what they need, what they want, and what might be of concern to them is key in creating their experience with you.

Next up is building trust - this is your base, just like the tomatoes in my epic marinara. It doesn't matter if I have cooked the pasta to absolute perfection, if the base of my sauce isn't right, the whole dish can fall flat. Being honest, transparent, and consistent creates a basic level of trust that acts as the base of your client experience and shows your clients they can rely on you.

Now, storytelling - think of this as your secret spice, the one that takes your dish from good to great (for the record, I will not be sharing the special ingredient that makes my marinara so amazing 😉). Sharing your own real-life experiences can help your clients connect with you on a personal level, which helps them feel like you care about and can relate to them.

Non-verbal cues? They're like the garnish on your dish. A sprinkle of fresh herbs, a dash of parmesan… Your body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, attitude, even the way you dress, can add that extra zing, making your impression more effective. When your non-verbal communication complements your verbal and written communication, you get a trifecta that creates the ultimate communication strategy and customer experience!

Repetition is like marination - the longer it soaks in, the more flavorful it becomes! Repeat your key points, set expectations early and reiterate them frequently, find new ways to reinforce your message, and it will stick in your client's mind. You want to create a positive memorable experience for your clients so that they will become repeat clients and refer others to you.

Listening is like tasting your dish while you cook. It gives you a sense of what's missing or what's too much. Pay attention to your client's feedback, understand their needs and concerns, and adjust your communication accordingly. Some clients will need more handholding than others. It is your job to ensure you give each client the level of attention they need so that they can be successful during and after your interactions and transactions with them. The only way to do this is to listen carefully and intentionally to both what they say and what they don’t say.

Finally, adaptability - it's about being a versatile chef, ready to whip up different dishes for different people. Every client you work with will get a different version of you. Read that again: every client you work with will get a different version of you. Why? Because each client is unique and has unique needs. Of course, you will aim to provide the highest level of service for each client – but that looks different for each client. Just like in cooking, each dish requires a different level of attention, clients will require different types of interactions with you. 

If you’re selling a home to a first-time buyer, they are going to have many more questions and need a lot more guidance from you than a seasoned real estate investor will. That doesn’t mean you give a lower level of service to the investor; they simply don’t require as much from you in order to have a great experience! Adapt your style based on your clients’ needs, goals, and experiences with the service you provide.

Communication in business, like cooking, is about balancing different elements to create a satisfying result. With the right blend of understanding, trust, storytelling, non-verbal cues, repetition, listening, and adaptability, you'll be whipping up a customer experience that leaves your clients coming back for seconds and telling all their friends how amazing you are!

Well, that's enough cooking analogies for one day. Time to put on your chef's hat and start cooking - or rather, communicating.

To learn more about how you can become a master communicator, grab my FREE guide to better communication or book a free breakthrough call by clicking HERE!

Thanks for reading!

Ciao for now!