It's the Customer, Stupid!: 34 Wake-up Calls to Help You Stay Client-Focused

Chapter 8. Communication Skills Mean Everything; Join Toastmasters or Dale Carnegie

In many service industries, the quality of service is one of the few variables that can distinguish a business from its competition.

In most industries, people have a multitude of choices. With the proliferation of the Internet, those choices have been multiplied many times over. The only thing that remains distinguishable between you and your competition is the service you render.

Service is literally five times—some experts even claim 10 times—more important than any other single factor. If the quality of your service is the discernible characteristic that sets you apart, wouldn't it make sense to focus more on this than on anything else?

A major part of this problem is poor communication skills that so many possess today. Even if your product or service is terrific, it will be negatively impacted by an inability to effectively communicate its use to the client.

Clients want to do business with people they genuinely like, and being "likable" is enhanced considerably by your verbal skills. Unfortunately, there are precious few courses in the educational world whose focus is enhancing verbal communication skills. The good news is there are two very tried and proven vehicles in the commercial marketplace that are available to the public: Dale Carnegie and Toastmasters.

Dale Carnegie courses began in 1912 and have spiraled across 75 countries throughout the world. They focus on what they've deemed the five ...