New Rules of Communication - Business School with Sharran Srivatsaa

Summary

Business School with Sharran Srivatsa
Episode: New Rules of Communication
Release Date: January 21, 2025

Introduction

In the "New Rules of Communication" episode, Sharran Srivatsaa delves deep into the evolving landscape of communication in the modern business environment. Drawing from his extensive experience as a business leader and private equity investor, Sharran explores how the proliferation of communication channels has transformed the way entrepreneurs, business owners, and sales professionals interact. The episode offers actionable insights on leveraging preferred communication methods to build stronger relationships, enhance business growth, and reduce unnecessary friction.

The Evolution of Communication Channels

Sharran opens the discussion by highlighting the dramatic shift in communication modalities over the years. He contrasts the limited options of the past—letters, faxes, and phone calls—with today's myriad platforms such as texts, WhatsApp, FaceTime, email, and Slack. This explosion of channels has led individuals to develop distinct preferences, creating both opportunities and challenges in business communication.

"Everything else generates irritation and friction for them. If we want to influence people, we've got to get to the lowest friction channel of communicating with them."
— Sharran Srivatsaa [00:50]

Understanding Preferred Communication Channels

A central theme of the episode is the critical importance of identifying and utilizing a person's preferred communication method. Sharran emphasizes that assuming a one-size-fits-all approach—like defaulting to phone calls or texts—can lead to miscommunication and disengagement.

He shares personal anecdotes to illustrate this point, such as his friend who exclusively relies on text messages, leading to an overwhelming influx of texts that even Sharran finds stressful. Conversely, another business partner prefers phone calls and promptly responds to them, demonstrating the varied preferences among individuals.

"We are entering a communication world where every single person has chosen their method, their mode of communication... it's our job to figure out what that channel is because then you have a better chance of having better rapport with that person."
— Sharran Srivatsaa [03:15]

Challenges with Multi-Channel Communication

Sharran discusses the pitfalls of multi-channel communication, where individuals bombard others with the same message across various platforms—texts, emails, DMs, etc.—in hopes of eliciting a response. This approach often backfires, leading to frustration and a diminished likelihood of engagement.

He recounts experiences where vague requests for calls or meetings result in confusion and inefficiency, stressing the importance of clarity and respect for the recipient's preferred channel.

"When someone just tells you to call them, you have no idea what it's about. They don't tell you what it's about, and it's very irritating because I really want to help people, but if they don't give me guidance on how to help them, it's just really difficult."
— Sharran Srivatsaa [07:00]

Strategies for Effective Communication

To navigate the complex landscape of modern communication, Sharran offers several strategic recommendations:

Identify the Preferred Channel:
Proactively ask your contacts about their preferred method of communication. Providing options—such as email, text, or calls—can facilitate smoother interactions.

"You have to ask them, 'Would you rather talk on the phone or would you prefer text messages? Would you rather prefer to email or should we jump on Zoom?'"
— Sharran Srivatsaa [08:15]
Respect and Adapt:
Once a preference is identified, consistently use that channel to maintain rapport and reduce friction. This demonstrates respect for the other person's communication style and increases the likelihood of positive responses.
Avoid Assumptions:
Do not assume that having someone's phone number or email address implies a willingness to communicate via that channel. Each individual may have unique preferences irrespective of the contact information available.
Limit Multi-Channel Outreach:
Refrain from sending the same message across multiple platforms simultaneously. Instead, choose the most appropriate channel based on the contact's preference to avoid overwhelming them.
Provide Context:
When initiating communication, especially via calls or messages, offer a brief context to help the recipient understand the purpose and prioritize their response accordingly.

"Don't just ask for communication without giving a rationale. Say, 'I'm thinking about XYZ. I've done XYZ research. I'm stuck in this situation. I would appreciate a few minutes with you.'"
— Sharran Srivatsaa [17:10]

The Role of Technology and AI

Sharran touches upon the impact of AI and automation in the realm of communication, underscoring the heightened role of influence and relationship management in contemporary business interactions. He argues that mastering the appropriate communication channels is essential for effectively leveraging technology to build and sustain meaningful business relationships.

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Sharran Srivatsaa wraps up the episode by reiterating the significance of adapting to the new rules of communication. The key takeaways include:

Personalization is Crucial: Tailoring your communication approach to align with the preferences of your audience fosters better engagement and stronger relationships.
Efficiency Over Quantity: Prioritizing effective, clear, and respectful communication methods over sheer volume can lead to more productive interactions.
Continuous Adaptation: As communication technologies and preferences evolve, staying attuned to these changes is vital for sustained business success.

"If you want to succeed in this modern world, you should not just figure out how to get a hold of somebody, you should figure out what their primary channel is that they like to communicate in."
— Sharran Srivatsaa [17:45]

Final Thoughts

"New Rules of Communication" serves as an essential guide for modern professionals navigating the intricate web of contemporary communication channels. Sharran Srivatsaa's insights encourage a shift from traditional, one-dimensional communication strategies to more personalized, channel-specific approaches that align with individual preferences. By embracing these new rules, listeners can enhance their business relationships, streamline interactions, and ultimately drive greater success in their endeavors.

For more free resources, visit Sharran.com.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Hey, this is Sharan Srivatsa. Welcome back to the Business School podcast. And in this episode, I'm going to talk to you about something super, super important, especially if you're an entrepreneur, a business owner, a salesperson, you do this often, or you know people that do this, which is they communicate in the way that they like to communicate. They like the salespeople like using the phone, so they call you all the time. Now, modern sales people love texting, so they text you all the time. And it gets annoying. But in the olden days, there's only a few ways to communicate. Maybe you send them a letter, which took a few days to get there, or a fax, or maybe you had the phone, but in today's world, you had so many other methods. Pings, Dings, Bings, WhatsApp, FaceTime, Email, Slack, et cetera. And people have started to choose the preferred way of communicating. And everything else generates irritation and friction for them. If we want to influence people, we've got to get to the lowest friction channel of communicating with them. There's a way to do it and there's a way not to do it. And I break down exactly how, starting right now. One thing is for certain, just because it's tried and true doesn't mean it's working right now.

B (1:08)

So the big question is this.

A (1:10)

Where can you learn what is working right now? The strategies, the tactics, the psychology, and the exact how to how to grow your business, how to blow up your personal brand and supercharge your personal growth.

B (1:23)

That is the question, and this podcast will give you the answer.

A (1:26)

My name is Sharan Trivata, and welcome to Business school. Foreign rules of communication as we know it have completely changed. Why? Because that there's so many ways to get a hold of somebody. You have the traditional phone call and then you have meetings. That's all there existed in the past, maybe a letter. And then you introduced faxes. Well, there was a rules around these things, which was you had to get more meetings to sell stuff, which is why you knocked on doors. Or you actually found it as a responsibility to respond to a letter if you got it. Maybe a friend wrote you a letter, or a pen pal wrote you a letter, or a business associate wrote you a letter, you feel compelled to respond to that letter. Or if you got a fax message, which I still know somebody who only gets faxes, which is crazy to me, by the way. That's how he controls his life. But the crazy part is you were expected to respond to this message. But in today's world, people don't respond to stuff anymore. You know why? Why? It's because people have chosen their own method of communication. They've chosen, they want to be communicated with in a certain way. They've chosen their primary mode of communication. Like I'll give you an example. I have a friend right now who for this year, he's giving up all phone calls, he's given up all meetings, he's given up all email. And he wants to only run his entire life by text message, right? That's very interesting because I get 3,000 to 4,000 text messages a day and I don't want to communicate via text message. I don't want anyone texting me. And it's really stressful for me to get thousands of text messages because I just can't keep up anymore. I'm very close to changing my number again. Now. The reason I say this is because different people have chosen different ways. I know some people that who's one of a business partner of mine who really loves the phone, he will call him, he will answer within the first ring, he will call you and he'll say, hey, Sharon, give me a call back and I'll call him back. He'll be like, I don't know why I called you. And I'm like, why didn't you leave me a voicemail saying, telling me exactly what this was about? But because he's a phone person, he only wants to be called on the phone, he only wants to talk on the phone. And you may say, well, what's wrong with that? There's nothing wrong with that. That's exactly what I'm saying. I'm saying that in today's world, we now have chosen the primary communication mechanism for each of us. I'll give you an example. A couple of my best friends, my business partners and ventures, they only check text messages now. And maybe some WhatsApp, they don't check email. And so for me it's very hard because every time they have a thought, they will send a text message. It can be long, they'll send a voicemail, it can be longer. And with me getting three to 5,000 text messages a day, it's just very hard to keep up because then you go back and forth in the channel. It's sometimes hard to mark something unread because you read it while you're looking and it gets really difficult. And the reason for this is we have to realize that different people have different communication styles. If you emailed the guy that didn't want to be emailed, you probably are not going to get a response for a few days and then you're going to think he's rude. If you called me and you left me a voicemail, there is a 110% chance I am not calling you back because I don't need to do that. I don't want to do that. I hate calling people back. I hate talking on the phone. So then you realize, well, why? How do you get a hold of people in this world right now? Do you just make everything about a phone call? Part number one about this puzzle is you have to understand that we are entering a communication world where every single person has chosen their method, their mode of communication, because keeping up with everything is really hard. And not everybody is good at every channel. So everyone has a favorite channel, and it is our job to figure out what that channel is because then you have a better chance of having better rapport with that person. I know that my dad checks WhatsApp. I could text him on WhatsApp way faster than me texting him or calling him or whatever. I know that. I know that's his primary method of communication. I try to make it easy on him. Well, I can't make it easy on a thousand people. I can make it easy on five. Everyone else has to, you know, kind of work to my way of the world. Now that brings me to point number two. Point number two is it is amazing how many people, especially salespeople, you know, real estate agents, mortgage brokers, coaches, consultants, any salesperson loves calling and texting. They are the masters of calling and texting. But here's the crazy part. Those are the two methods I hate. I don't like texting. I don't like talking on the phone. I don't like either. Now, it doesn't matter what you think. It doesn't matter what I think. It doesn't matter what your friend thinks. You may think it's necessary for business, you may think it, but. But it's not. It's just because you or someone you know likes to communicate by talking on the phone or sending text messages. And I just don't. And how do we solve that problem? Well, here's how you solve that problem. So I have a friend, as I told you, who likes text messages, and I don't. I like email and he doesn't. Now, how do we communicate with each other? We have a good communication system. How do we communicate with each other? Let me tell you. And you're not going to like it. It's really, really simple. When he needs something from me, he uses my primary channel because he knows that the way to get a hold of me because he needs my help, because I have status, he needs something from me, he needs a request from me, he needs me to do him a favor, he needs my help because he needs my help, he has to follow my way. And so he emails me because he knows that if he sends me a text message on principle, I won't respond to him. But if I need something from him, I know that I have to go to his primary method. Now, you may say, well, Sharon, that's really weird because blah, blah, blah, but that's really what I'm trying to tell you, which is the entire point is that the world has started choose mechanism. Now, 20 years ago, if you called me, I had to call you back. If you wrote me a letter, I had to write you back, I had to. Now I don't, because what's going to happen? I lose some business. Great. I just don't want to do it. And there are people like that, There are people like that. There are people who don't respond to email, there are people who don't respond to text messages, There are people who don't respond to callbacks. It's our job to figure out how to get a hold of these people in their primary medium. So instantly calling somebody just because you have their number, instantly texting somebody because you have their number, because if they're not a call person, they're a text person. They're not. I am neither a call person nor a text person. I hate both. So if you call me and you texted me, there's a good chance, a phenomenal chance, that you would never hear back from me. That's why cold callers don't bother me. That's why cold texters don't bother me. That's why people who text me don't bother me, because I just cannot respond because I get way too many calls and way too many text messages, right? And it's important to know this because the next time you don't just say, hey, can I get your number so I can text you because you want to text. They don't. They might not, because if you texted me, I wouldn't respond. So how do you get the right answer? The right answer is to figure out if you need something. You have to use the mechanism that that person's preferred mechanism. And how do you find the mechanism? You ask? You say, hey, I would love to find a way to communicate with you in the best possible mechanism for you. What's the best channel for you? What do you prefer? If you said that to me, I'd be like, hey, can you please email me? I will get back to you right away on email. I'm on on top of my messages. And if you knew that you would be in good graces with me, you would get better responses from me. You'd be, I'd be more helpful and I'd be less stressed and I'd support you more and I'd be more reliable. That's what's going to happen. So instead of just assuming that just because you have a phone number or just because you have an email address or just because you have a text message number or just because you have the WhatsApp or whatever, you just don't assume that that's how people want to be communicated with. I have friends that only want to communicate on WhatsApp. I don't enjoy it as much because it's one more app that I have to work through and I physically can't keep up. And because I can't keep up, I communicate with them less. That's it. It does not matter if they're important in my life. If they are, they're gonna now have to bend to my way. If not, the stress and the friction that's associated with the relationship is so high. Now you may say, Sharon, that's really short sighted. Etc. Now let me answer that with number three. Quick heads up.