The Importance of Small Talk in Business and Why You Need to Get Better at It

It’s no secret that (well-executed) small talk is a necessity in the world of business. Love it or hate it, that little polite conversation is here to stay.

Perfect for building connections with partners and clientele, small talk can take your relationships to new levels, helping you achieve trust and loyalty with your customers. Small talk helps ease tensions and anxieties surrounding situations, lulling people into conversation and fueling our basic human need for association and recognition.

Whether on the phone or in person, here are more reasons why small talk is so important for your business and what you can do to improve your skills:

Small talk presents opportunities

The point of business is to grow and thrive while making an impact in your profession. You cannot achieve success without loyal customers and investors backing your ideas and committing to your concepts. To muster trust and friendship with your clientele, consumers need to be heard and understood as people, not as statistics on a chart or as dollar signs in your books.

Small talk, then, presents opportunities to get to know and hear your clients. You may learn something new about the customer that you can then use in later conversation, or one interaction may turn into someone signing a deal with your company. Being an expert small talker presents opportunities for growing your business and its reputation.

Small talk is necessary for connection

Small talk is the driving force behind gaining new clients, getting along with coworkers, impressing the boss, and maintaining existing partnerships. Using this type of easy conversation forces you to build connections with people on a deeper level, giving you the chance to make a positive impact in someone’s life. Small talk adds an element of respect to your conversation; simply asking someone about their family vacation or mentioning you remember your boss’s son’s birthday shows you pay attention and care.

Improve small talk with practice

Small talk takes time and experience to master. The more you practice the pleasantries and intricacies of small talk, the better you communicate.

Practice your active listening skills and ask probing questions that give you more than yes or no answers. Truly invest in the small talk and practice in your everyday life to translate those skills into your business.

Ready to put your small talk to the test? Whether it’s your customer support team dealing with client issues or you are closing a deal on a partnership, make sure you have the most reliable and powerful phone system available. At Vaspian we offer a cloud-based phone system that will grow with you as your business grows. Give us a call at 1-855-827-7426 to learn more about optimizing your phone service today!