To be successful and rise to the top in business ~ and in life ~ there are certain character traits one must adopt, especially in today’s extremely transparent business world.

Being a good communicator online

Being able to convey the right message is key to improving your professional performance. To be effective, you need to trim the fat from your messages to ensure they are concise and to the point. Use lots of bold or bulleted headings to improve readability. Good online communication means that you respond as quickly as physically possible (or have an assistant do it for you) to customer messages or posts, even if it’s just to acknowledge receipt of your message.

be more credible

In order to be taken seriously, you must gain credibility. People prefer to do business with those they like and trust. However, credibility must be earned. It will build over time. Be persistent and consistent. Social media platforms are great for gaining credibility, if you do it right. Be seen as an industry expert by writing articles and posts that are relevant to your business and post them on your company blog or industry blogs. Make your voice and opinions heard.

know your market

Learn as much as you can to fully understand your target audience. The best place to start is with your own customers and prospects. When talking to customers, it may be appropriate to have sample questions available so you can be thorough. When you talk to other people, you may want to transfer the details of your conversation (which should include your personal likes, dislikes, or observations) to your electronic contact records, as soon as possible. These notes will be valuable for years to come. However, in less formal situations, when a list or note-taking may not be appropriate, be sure to stay focused and transfer any information to your contact database.

take detailed notes

Whether you’re in the office or not, take notes on anything that might be of significant relevance. In a recent LinkedIn article, Sir Richard Branson mentioned that “Note-taking is one of my favorite pastimes. I can’t tell you where I’d be if I hadn’t had a pen handy to write down my ideas (or more importantly, other things). people) as soon as they came to me. Some of Virgin’s most successful businesses have been born out of random moments: if we hadn’t opened our notebooks, they never would have happened.” He went on to add, “Review your ideas and turn them into doable, measurable goals. If you don’t write down your ideas, they could leave your head before you even leave the room.”

Listen carefully

There’s no point in asking strong, relevant questions if you don’t really hear and understand the other person’s response. Stay focused on exactly what is being said and ask for clarification if you are unsure. Listening requires a genuine interest in what others have to say. Listening creates an understanding that becomes the foundation of any successful relationship.

Get organized

You will need to incorporate a system that allows you to control your paperwork, tasks, time management and your calendar. Use your calendar to establish a daily routine to organize your time and streamline your operations. Have a workable schedule for actions and activities that allow you to accomplish certain tasks, such as meetings, phone calls, email, social media, and your job duties and functions. You can possibly skyrocket your productivity by at least 100% simply by being better organized.

Become Solution Oriented

Whenever you are faced with a problem, focus your thinking on the anticipated result or solution. If you focus on the problem instead of looking for a solution, you waste valuable time and miss opportunities. In general, it is advisable to spend about 10% of your time to understand the problem, because a well-understood problem is half solved. However, choose to spend 90% of your time in the solution. Unproductive people do the opposite.

Being passionate about what you do is an important factor for success. If you love what you do, it is much easier to give your best and excel in everything you do. Make sure your personal and business values ​​are reflected in your life so that you too see true meaning in everything you do.