Column: David Branch

Communication Breakdown

My Brother works writing payroll software in California. One day, he and his business partner/friend went to a 7-11 down the street from their office to take a break and get a snack. His friend is from India and speaks with a thick accent. The following is a verbatim transcript from his friend and the store clerk who appeared to be from Sri Lanka and also spoke with a very different, yet equally as thick accent. Being an avid fan of the humor writing genre, everything from Hunter S. Thompson to Steve Martin, this has to be one of the funniest things I have ever read:

Friend:    2 egg rolls
7-11 guy:    What kind?
Friend:    2 egg rolls
7-11 guy:    What kind?  We carry 3 kind egg roll, sir.
Friend:  (in a louder voice):    No.  I only want 2.  Egg roll.  Right there <<pointing>> Don't you see?
7-11 guy:    You don't talk so good.
Friend:    What you talking about?  I just want 2 egg roll, man.
7-11 guy:    I can't understand a word you saying.  What your problem and why can't you talk?
Friend:    Come on, man.  I can't understand you either.  I just want 2 egg roll.
7-11 guy  (almost yelling):    How long you in this country?
Friend: (almost yelling even louder):    11 years.  But I just want 2 egg roll and pack of Marlboros.
7-11 guy:    You here 11 years??!  No way.  I have no idea what else you say.
Friend:  << pointing vehemently at the egg rolls, holds up 2 fingers, saying something that not even I understood >>
7-11 guy:   Ok man, I get your egg rolls and you get out of here.
Friend:   What you mean?  "Get out of here"?  I pay you money.
7-11 guy:    I know.  After you pay, get out of here.
Friend:  << slamming money down on the counter >>:  I don't know what you problem.
7-11 guy:    Ok man, whatever you say.  Here your change.
Friend:    What about the Marlboros?
7-11 guy:    No.  We're out.  Goodbye and take some lesson for speak.  No one in this whole store understand a  thing you say.

After reading this, I couldn't help but wonder how much that conversation mirrored those with agents and clients. I read so many posts on the industry forums that deal with client relations and more often than not, it is very clear that the problem the agents are having is proper communication between both parties. Proper communication is one of the most essential foundations of our entire life.  Whether it be personal or professional, without proper communication, it's just not going to work. Business communication can be broken down into two parts; Internal and External. I am just going to stick to the topic and speak about external at this time. Maybe I will write about internal next month.

One of the first things I see a lot of on the forums is a lack of communication skills in the form of an agents ability to properly construct a written sentence. Doing so creates a negative perception of that agent. When a negative perception exists and the agent does not take steps to correct this mis-perception, agents will have a harder time to correct this and later reach out to the affected lenders/clients. And when a mis-perception goes uncorrected for a prolonged period of time, the mis-perception may become absorbed into the belief system of the client. This could be disastrous for the agent. Even the very employees of the agent may have a negative perception of the business.

A primary role of emails, memos, condition reports and updates is to maintain  a good, relevant and timely flow of information with the agent and his/her clients. It plays a key role in external business communication. Let me put it simply; if your condition reports or your information packets look like crap, your company will be perceived as crap. So many agents do not pay heed to the ethics of proper business communication. They write condition reports and updates as thoughts occur to them and send emails without revising the words into coherent messages. As a result, we see writing that is fragmented, incomplete, and full of careless language errors.

Here are 3 certain tips to improve  your business communication:

1. Plan and organize:

Agents should have clear objectives while writing an update or a business letter. It should include everything that you are intended to write to give information to the reader in order to attain your objectives of proper and clear business communication.

2. Build the business communication infrastructure:

In business communication through updates, letters, etc., write exacting, descriptive and genuine statements that will build partnership with clients. Use the tone and level of formality that fits the objectives and the reader, and convey your thoughts straight and firmly.

3. Prepare the reader for proper business communication:

rite the email or letter subject lines using words that alert the reader to contents, required action or critical information in the email. In the introduction explain everything readers need to know to understand fully why they are receiving the document. Describe all actions the client is expected to perform, actions you will perform and any critical information that client is expected to know. Summarize conclusions at the beginning. Write clear statements of contents at the end o introduction so that readers know what to expect and prepare them for reading, which will transform it from just communication to business communication.

I realize that I have just touched the surface of external communication, however, basic writing skills are so very important to the agents existence and survival. I often jam people up on the forums when I see a poorly written post. I really do not do that to be funny or a hard ass. My goal has been to get you to see that if you can't convey a simple thought properly to your peers, your clients assuredly appreciate it. If you find that you fall into the bad writer category, brush up and take a course at your local community college. Invest in your agency. If you don't, I promise it won't be around for very long.

Dave Branch

Jul 7, 2008