The significant relationship holiday of the year is coming up in less than a month. We all know that communication is essential to happy and healthy relationships and a good Valentine’s Day. Communication is vital to personal relationships, but it is equally important in our collegial and business relationships.
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we want to help you with your relationships and your business relationships by giving you a model for effectively communicating what you want and strategies for getting it! And, we are not talking about manipulation; we are talking about sharing so that both parties get something that they want! It’s a win/win, and who doesn’t want that.
Identify your goal (the ask)
First of all, you have to determine what the goal is for your conversation. In business, it can be about creating a partnership with another business entity, or maybe with an influencer on social media, or perhaps it is with a distributor who can provide you with a product you need.
If it is personal, you need to know what you want to get out of the communication. Maybe you want a commitment; maybe you want to get out of the house one night a week. Perhaps you are tired of no alone time with your significant other.
Understand your audience
You have to know your audience to communicate strategically and effectively. It is important to understand your audience, whether you are trying to partner with another business, make a deal with a vendor, convince an employee to accept a position and everything in between. Research everything you can about the other party to know their values, what they are all about, and what they need if possible. Research can also help you understand their challenges and how you can help them combat those challenges.
If it is a love interest or a friend, you may know these things or may still need to find out where they are coming from to determine the best way to get your needs met while meeting their needs as well. It’s essential to identify any resistance you might face to determine how to remedy those issues in your value proposition.
Value proposition
By understanding your audience, you have hopefully identified what they have, what their challenges will be with your ‘ask,’ and how you can add value to the person/business you are communicating with. You also have to know what you bring to the table that might give them something they want or combat a challenge they are having.
In a personal relationship, you want to know what they are looking for and needing in the relationship that you can provide and how it will work with what you are looking for and wanting.
Express your need
Now that you know what you want, understand your audience (values and challenges), and understand what you have to offer in return, you can present your ‘ask’ in a way that will be heard and reciprocated. Present how you can and will meet their needs first, and then how your needs can be met in return!
At Anneomaly Digital, our ‘ask’ is to allow us to help you while we do what we do: get your brand seen, engage your target market, and overall help you grow your business. This is strategic communication. It works in the industry, and it works in personal relationships. Give it a try, and let us know how it works.