The Great Business

Global business thrives through the efforts of importers. These individuals are able to track down and identify items that they believe will fetch a handsome price back home. Importers have a thankless job really. The domestic marketplace, despite its relative familiarity, is a very international arena. Most products for sale at the corner grocery store or the local shop do not come from the country they are sold in. The vast majority of products come from overseas and it is the responsibility of importers to track them down and bring them back.

These individuals have a very vital role in driving world commerce. The earliest importers were mostly the great explorers of the golden age of sea travel. These persons would travel the globe and open up new routes of trade between their homelands and the recently encountered nations they had the luck to encounters. These early importers often trafficked in spices and silks, two luxuries in high demand back in Western nations. Great profits could be made by bringing these commodities back home and despite the obvious dangers inherent in this early phase of globalization, more and more people would venture out to seek riches.

However, as this romantic notion of early importers began to give way to a more rational and organized approach, the influence of these traders was still felt. These people had a keen eye and a business savvy about them that could inherently direct them towards goods that would fetch a high price in their home country. And today, social networking is key when working as an importer.

Congruency, according to the Free Dictionary, means agreement or harmony. Respective to communication it suggests what you speak must be in agreement with what you do. When this happens you build credibility with those around you. In business, being credible through the demonstration of your business ethics is part of the trust formula and helps to increase sales.

A blog posting by Tammy Kohl of Resource Associates Corporation discussed the various aspects of successful communication. After reading these suggestions, I reflected on a presentation I attended recently about “getting clients.”

The speaker was very professional and engaging. Much of what he said I already knew, but in viewing many of those in attendance taking notes, his words about “getting clients” appeared to be resonating with others.

His main point was top of mind awareness (TOMA) by sending handwritten notes in combination with other communication strategies such as emails, articles, newsletters, etc. in getting clients. He suggested for small business owners to send a personal note after exchanging business cards. Much of his getting clients presentation centered around two books, Get Clients Now and Endless Referrals. Sales Training Coaching Tip: Adopting an attitude of gratitude is always a positive core value or business ethics.

After his presentation, we exchanged business cards and right there on the spot he lost all credibility with me. Why? Because he did not have a physical address on this card. “Talk about do what I say and not what I do.” Sales Training Coaching Tip: By having a written values statement along with the expected behaviors helps to avoid this disconnect between what you communicate (your words) and what you do (your behaviors).