Soft Skills for Business Profitability
Soft Skills To Help Improve Your Business Profitability.
Certain soft skills will make you and your organisation more profitable, complementing the technical knowledge related to the delivery of your product or service.
These profit-boosting soft skills are:
- Motivating others.
- Goal setting.
- Persuasive communication.
- Sales and negotiation.
- Questioning, listening and memory skills.
1. Motivating others
Organisations do NOT pay staff for their time, but rather for their productivity.
If the team is demotivated then they are paid the same money, but their productivity plummets. In order to get the full productivity of the team, you must motivate them!
It is a mistake to think that people are motivated only by money; since there are many well-paid, but demotivated people.
So, it is important for you to learn about social motivators, which are those motives - other than money - that inspire people to work harder. Social motivators include: a shared vision, opportunity for achievement, praise, thanks, appreciation, team spirit and inspirational leadership.
Therefore, learning the above mentioned soft leadership skills will help you to become more profitable.
2. Goal setting.
Goal setting is an important soft skill, since both leadership and motivation is based upon the ability to set and communicate the goals we want to achieve.
There is motivation only when there is a clear goal, which sets the terms for every subsequent plan, action and emotion.
Goal setting is a soft skill which should be studied by everyone who wishes to become a better leader and motivator.
Goal setting will make you more profitable.
3. Persuasive communication.
Since nobody can succeed on their own, we must gain the cooperation of others, so we need the soft skill of persuasion.
There are two types of persuasion, logical and emotional.
To persuade people logically; talk about the logical consequences associated with either doing or not doing something.
- Attach pleasurable consequences to the implementation of your idea, and
- Attach painful consequences to NOT implementing your idea.
Emotional persuasion is achieved by making the consequences directly affect the listener. Whenever you personalise the beneficial consequences of an idea and link it to the listener's own success or failure, then your message will have "personal significance", and will affect them more emotionally.
Failure to persuade others to act in accordance with your ideas will cause you to fail.
Successfully persuading others to act in accordance with your ideas will cause you to succeed, therefore undertaking communication skills training is beneficial.
4. Sales and negotiation.
Profits are obviously linked to the soft skills of sales and negotiation.
The sales process consists of five steps: introduction, investigation, product solution, negotiation of profitable terms, close.
- Introduction means making contact with new people.
- Investigation means finding out what the other person wants.
- Product solution means showing how your product or service can help the other person achieve what they want.
- Negotiation of profitable terms is agreeing a set of terms that allows for the profitable delivery of your product or service.
- Close means gaining their commitment.
It is self-evident that all organisations would profit by improving their sales and negotiation soft skills.
5. Questioning, listening and memory skills.
Questioning, listening and memory skills are fundamental because we gain information about the world, either by personal experience, or by learning from others.
We gain the majority of our knowledge by asking questions, listening to, or reading about other people's information and remembering what we learn.
And in order to hear the most important information, you need to ask the right questions.
Questioning, listening and memory are fundamental soft skills that underpin every other.
Therefore, investing time and effort into improving these skills will make you more profitable.
Our memory training and creative problem solving course is designed to help you succeed in this area.
What does this mean to your organisation?
Every organisation is competing against its rivals, who offer similar products and services, at similar prices, so you must distinguish your organisation by developing your team in ways that your competitors may not have thought of.
Develop your team's soft skills and you will have the competitive edge.
About the Author: Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years’ experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.
Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.
Blogs by Email
Do you want to receive an email whenever we post a new blog? The blogs contain article 5-10 minutes long - ideal for reading during your coffee break!
Further Reading in Leadership and Management
-
Good leadership and management is just common sense isn't it?
Isn't good leadership and management just common sense? At the conclusion of the two day effective leader manager course and the advanced leadership course I am often told the same thing by departing delegates. They often say "that was a terrific course and I learned a lot. But when you think...
Read Article > -
What Qualities do Leaders Need?
A clear vision, superb communication skills and decisiveness are just some of the qualities a leader needs. Do you have the personal attributes required to be a leader? Take our quiz to find out.
Read Article > -
Who Are The Best Leaders In Business? (What Makes A Great Leader?) [Infographic]
What Makes A Great Leader? Have you ever wanted to know why the best leaders in business are where they are? It's not a mistake, it's not luck. It's because they have the skills and traits to become great leaders. In this Infographic we have showcased who the best leaders are...
Read Article > -
Leadership skills training: More is not necessarily better
More is not necessarily better In order to lead others, you need to be able to make good decisions; nobody wants to follow a leader who makes terrible decisions. In order to make good decisions, you need to have the right ideas in your mind. If your mind is operating according...
Read Article > -
How to make the impossible, possible
Do you realise that your level of success is shaped by your dominant thoughts? Leaders can influence results by introducing new ideas and visions of a better future, in the minds of their followers. Be a better leader by being an influential leader.
Read Article >
Looking for Leadership and Management Training?
If you're looking to develop your Leadership and Management Skills, you may find this Leadership and Management Training Course beneficial:
Open Training Course Pricing and Availability
Next Open Course Starts in 13 days, London - Central, places available