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FEATURE MANAGING COMMUNICATIONS FOR MAXIMUM RESULTS: 5 STRATEGIES AN INTERVIEW WITH SANDY JONES-KAMINSKI INTERVIEWED BY SUSAN HESSELGRAVE The most frequent complaint I hear from my fellow independent consultants, and one I struggle with as well, is this: “How do I keep in touch effectively with all these individuals through all these communication channels” Sandy Jones-Kaminski has a very straightforward approach to managing communications, making her just the expert I wanted to consult on this topic. As a social media expert and business mentor, it’s Sandy’s job to cut through the clutter and help her clients make the most of the time and effort they spend on social media and other communication channels. With over 20 years of business development and marketing experience, her career has evolved right along with the explosion of online communications. At her company, Bella Domain Media, she describes her role as “Chief Connecting Officer.” She helps entrepreneurs boost their brands, generate leads, and grow their businesses through a proprietary process of online and offline networking tactics, social media marketing, and by developing a customized content marketing strategy. Sandy has worked with startups as well as at the corporate executive level and has been interviewed and quoted by MSNBC, Fox Business News, and many other media outlets. She’s also the author of I’m at a Networking Event–Now What: A Guide to Making the Most Out of Any Networking Event, which was the #1 pick on the Inc.com 2010 Business Book Wish List. 20 | January 2015 magazine
Q: What are the top communications mistakes you see made by entrepreneurs and independent consultants and what should they be doing instead 1. USE THE RECEIVER’S PREFERRED CHANNEL SJK: I see people aren’t paying attention to the receiver’s preferred channel. There are phone people, social media people, email people. What are you We tend to use the channel we prefer, rather than adapting to our recipient’s preference. We don’t respect their preferences. Instead of doing what’s easiest for you, respond in kind. Think about how they reached out to you originally. Don’t call somebody who reached out to you via email. They may be more inclined to do their business through email. Respect that. It can be a generational thing – for younger people, they’ll say, “Just text me.” SJK: Assess your audience’s comfort level. Again, this is a matter of respecting the receiver of your message. The first few communications need to be neutral in tone, intimacy, and depth. Your recipient may be turned off by an approach that is too formal, too informal, or overly friendly. Do some research into their communication style, and pay attention to the cues they offer. What’s their sense of humor How formal Are there cultural or language differences you need to take into account I know that someone being too formal sometimes makes me uncomfortable. I’m not going to be inclined to be responsive to that. Make more of an effort to understand your audience. SJK: Develop your soft skills. In all effective communications, you need to realize it’s not about you, it’s about the other person. Being more tuned in to other people is so important. You really have to develop your soft skills. To succeed anywhere, having good sales/marketing skills is essential, becoming comfortable with social interactions whether in person or in writing. I realize how much people struggle with that. Investing in that training is really important; it will make a huge difference to how successful you are. I recommend taking an improv workshop. In improv, you can’t help but always be thinking about the other person. It’s about being in that moment, hyper-aware, picking up on the cues, really paying attention to what [that person] needs or wants from you. “I’m very weird sometimes when somebody’s calling me whom I don’t know yet. I don’t answer the phone necessarily. Telemarketers have ruined that [telephone] channel for us.” The Association of Image Consultants International | 21
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