Proper client communication – storytelling
How to get the job done while nurturing healthy and positive relationship with the client — my experience.
I have been working as a Security Engineer on EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) platforms for more than two years. If you have stumbled upon some of my previous articles you have some idea in what I have been involved or if not (and you have some time to spare), click here and see what I have been up to lately.
Getting back to the topic, one of the things I do and (still) find it very interesting (and challenging) is the communication with the client. Passing on the business-relevant information can be complicated and somewhat intimidating as it requires having deeper knowledge in the topic and understanding of organization’s policies and procedures. Most likely scenarios for such meetings (in my case) are weekly reporting, sensor troubleshooting, knowledge transfers or something/someone messed up and we need to extinguish the fire. None include catching up on our private and social life, but (between us) you can always turn the topic around and finish the meeting with: The best places to visit in Croatia or Let me tell you a story when I…
…and you find yourself strangely enjoying the exchange of your personal interests and habits.
What is (my) way?
- Relax — get comfortable with your job (not going to lie, it takes time). You won’t have the answers to all questions and requests but be aware of your limits and what does and doesn’t fall into the scope of your job, and more importantly your role. (I started reaching this point almost after a year and a half of doing the same job and having the same meetings but I keep learning because every client and every situation comes differently);
- Humor — Using humor in a positive way comes as a natural relaxant and lessens the burden of business topics. (Don’t worry, I’m not a joke-telling person either.);
- Make the atmosphere relaxed and easy-going — humor accompanied by one’s own short stories from personal life comes very handy here;
- Feel the room — do not overcompensate. If they are not laughing or following your sense of humor, it’s their loss — get back to work. However if the other side is already comfortable and equally working on building something relaxed and easy-going, don’t miss on the opportunity: continue the non-business related conversation, share something personal (but not too personal), and do not forget the whether topics.
But do not be fooled, there are still some prerequisites for such relationship to start flourishing:
- business comes first — every request, complain and/or comment is not taken for granted;
- sincerity and determination — give proper facts and up-to-date information, let the client know of any issues or complications they might have and consequences they could expect. Sincerity, when your part of the job is not properly done, is appreciated but, the determination to make things right is even more. I don’t know and I’m not sure are not forbidden but they should be always followed by I will get back to you as soon as I find the answer;
- clarity and efficiency — give coherent information and through organized work no or little time, energy and effort will be wasted;
- preparedness — good preparation is already a job half done. Be familiar with the client, their needs and demands, pending requests and, most importantly, the service you are offering and in which way you can improve your overall influence on both the client and the provided service.
Building positive and easy-going relationship with the client takes time and effort from both sides. A lot of time it will not “work” how you expected it but nevertheless, the kind of connection you are trying to accomplish will, in long-term, build your communication skills, get you motivated and more comfortable in your own job role + the client management thing will eventually be much easier.
Storytelling in business communication
Communication is a natural element in our everyday life and work to which we don’t give much attention and thought. However, it expands its values when it comes to the business communication. Except for the information itself, business-related information needs to follow formality, organizational policies and guidelines and have specific actions towards its goals.
One of the mistakes I’m always trying to rectify and move away from is dry formality. This is when I started to slowly introduce the storytelling in the way I present data to the client. In Forbes article, Mahesh Bellie’s gave his definition of the business storytelling:
learning to adapt story structures for business communications to persuade your audience to take action.
Instead of sharing relatable information through raw numbers, definitions and graphs, add some stories to it. Make it pretty in a way that you:
- explain the way the company and your team functions — get to know each other;
- give clear information on what do you expect from them and what they can expect from you — define the scope of your job;
- look back on last week/month results — what has changed (for the better or worst);
- strive to improve the quality of the work and overall collaboration;
- be open to change;
- ask for the feedback and give one back as well.
Stories that wrap up the business add the qualitative to the quantitative, which eventually gives different and improved perspective of the work done and challenges you are exposed to.
In conclusion…
To give and receive business information has never been so easy and available through number of different means. But to present it wrapped in a story with head, body and tail is another challenge we see in today’s almighty digital world.
It is true that, in the end, everyone is interested in numbers, increases and decreases, peaks and bottoms but the picture does not always tell a thousand words - they need to come from you.
The purpose of business stories isn’t to provide amusement but rather to have a specific message, objective, and, ultimately, a wanted outcome. — K. Tomboc.
Hey, thanks for sticking until the end. Let me know your thoughts, ideas, critics and advices. Find me on LinkedIn.
Let me know some of your tips and tricks when engaging in the conversation with client. How do you deal with it?
This has been somewhat different topic than we are used to in our Cyberdnevnik space but nevertheless check our other stories related to Cloud Security, Endpoint Security and Pen Testing.
