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Communication is a Key Factor in Influencing

In part one of the series on influencing like Christ we talked about leading by example. Were you encouraged to be more like Christ when it comes to influencing other in your business?

Now comes on of my favorite strategies: Communication. What you say and how you say it is of utmost importance when influencing others.

If you’re condescending or condemning in your speech, others will see you as haughty, arrogant and egotistical. Most likely, they’ll steer away from you. However, when you’re uplifting, encouraging and genuine, others tend to listen and heed what you say.

Christ was a natural encourager and His agenda was well known. He was tactful and honest in His approach. While He said what needed to be said, He was sure to use the right words at the appropriate time to get the point across.

One way to speak in an encouraging tone is to use your voice as if you’re at dinner with your parents. You most likely wouldn’t be harsh or rude when speaking to them; nor would you speak down to them with a condescending tone. You’d use a calm tone of voice and speak pleasantly.

Think of it as using your “salt and pepper” voice. When you ask someone to pass the salt and pepper, are you rude, demanding or harsh? Not likely. You’re probably soft spoken, with a lilt in your voice, which influences the person to immediately pass the salt and pepper to you.

Jesus said that we are the salt of the world. That means that our speech must be such that is respectable, loving, and with a great deal of tact. Salt makes things taste better but a lock or over abundance of it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Keep it balanced and tactful when you communicate with others in business. Just because you may be the boss or have your own business does not give you the right to speak in any manner you feel necessary. Be prayerful in your approach and speak as led.

A good example of Christ’s tactful communication skills can be found in John 4. He spoke to the woman at the well with that witnessed to the core of who she was without judging or putting her down. She left feeling overjoyed with the encounter and brought more people to Jesus to hear the Good News He had to share.

Can you imagine the growth of your business if you spoke in the same manner to those you are trying to influence?

The final part of this series will be about being authoritative and not tyrant in your efforts to influence others. I look forward to hearing from you about this subject?

How do you feel about the power of influence as Christ demonstrated?

When it comes to having a successful business, knowing how to influence others is great asset to attain. However, as a faith-filled Believer it is important that we understand that influence is not manipulation or deceit. Influence for the Believer should be persuasion with love and service at the forefront of our objective. As Christ was the Great Influence so we should strive to be the same.

In order to get a clear understanding about influence, it may be necessary to know what the term truly means.

Influence is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something.

Influence is one of the most motivating factors in decision making. When you have a major decision to make, what are the influences that drive you to a final decision?

It’s normal to base any big decisions you make on how it will affect your loved ones. In essence, you could say that those closest to you have a lot of influence on the decisions you make in life.

So, how do you become influential so you can produce your desired effects on the actions, behaviors and opinions of others?

Over the next few days we will cover this topic.  By learning and applying a few simple strategies, we can learn how to become more like Christ and influence in love and service.

Let’s look at the first strategy now.

Lead by Example

The best way to influence someone is in your own behavior. This can go both ways – good or bad. If you want to influence someone to be positive and do well, you’ll need to be a living example of the behavior you expect.

In your business, be someone that others would want to model. That means you should strive to be timely in what you do, work diligently, and avoid getting into the issues that cause gossiping and back biting.

Jesus understood the power of being an example. This is why He choose to live as His Father expected Him to. Remember that He was God’s Son but He was also a man with the freedom to choose. His choice was to be the example of God’s expectation of His children, be obedient and follow through with God’s plan.

People are lead by example and will likely do whatever others around them are doing. If you’re a leader, then you’re the example they’ll follow. Remember, you can exert influence over others by becoming a proactive example to model.

Be the example of influencing with love and service.

In part two of the series we will discuss communication.

I would love to hear your thoughts as we move through this series on influence. You can help by taking the poll in the sidebar, commenting, sharing your tips on influence in business, or tweeting about the series.

Looking forward to sharing more with you about influencing in business like Christ.

Over the last few months I have been developing my brand. All during this time I reflected and considered many things. What would God have me to do? How will I use it to serve others? How will I use it to glorify God? How will what God has for me fit into the brand I create?

What I have learned has been a blessing. I have discovered that branding comes down to the Three P’s: Personality, Passion, and Purpose. These are things I already use to help me walk my path anyway and I was able to see how they apply to my business as well.

• Personality: Your personality has to be apart of your brand. You can’t pretend to be something you are not and think that others will not notice. Instead take your personality and allow it to flow through all you do.
• Passion: When I speak of passion here, I am not speaking of hobbies or things to do. I am talking about those things that tug at your heart and make you want to take action. Look towards those things to see how your business fits with it. Sometimes our passions don’t fit but often times what we are passionate about can lead to a very lucrative career or business.
• Purpose: Whatever your purpose is, it cannot be separated from what you are doing. When God shows you your purpose, it has to melt with your passion and personality so that you walk the right path towards what God has for you. He wants you to succeed, that is why He gave you the purpose. He knows the plans He has for you and they are prosperous and for His glory.

Maybe you are reading this and wondering what is has to do with your life or your business. In finding an authentic approach to life, it also fits for your business. Your authentic self will help your business grow and thrive. I know this from my own experience. The more I put “Me” in the mix without going overboard, the more my business grew by leaps and bounds and my life was enhanced as well. The more I let “Me” shine through the more balanced my own life was.

Taking the time to allow the Three P’s to meet and get to know one another has given me insight, focus, and value where my business is concerned.

I have been using the Three P’s system consistently for over a year now and it works, it really does!

What are your thoughts on the Three P’s of Branding? Do you think that personality, passion, and purpose have a place in business? How does this post relate to you?

When it comes to having an online business, there are many things to consider. The first, of course, is what that business will be. That can pose an issue for some because there are so many options available for online businesses.  I for one had this problem. I did not know which way to go. However with some guidance, good coaching, a supportive mastermind group, and prayer I was able to find a path that fit me.

I started my ventures online with coaching. I soon found out that I did not know the online business market like I did the offline one. They had some similarities but the differences were extreme. So I moved from coaching and teaching to internet marketing with a site for the vegan family or those who wanted to learn more about healthier alternatives to eating. This is when I really started to find my groove but I had not quite hit it yet. There were some key elements missing.

Those elements were:

• My passion was not with the vegan lifestyle because I struggled with it daily. I was not 100% vegan and never pretended to be. My husband was and maybe that is why he is running the site now.
• My gifts were not being used effectively. My primary gifts  are exhortation, pastoring, and teaching. With Vegan Family Living  was not able to utilize what God gave me to use to His glory.
• My skills and talents were not meeting their full potential. I could only go so far with what I was doing.
• I was not turning much of a profit after a year. I was barely making ends meet and my family needed my income to help keep us afloat.

After my husband came to me and said that I need to go out and find work; or figure something else out for working at home, I finally listened to God. He had told me in 2006 to start a writing/VA biz and I did not listen. However, when I heeded, I started making a regular weekly income. First it was the writing business and then I branched in VA work in December of 2008.  My husband took over Vegan Family Living and I left it where it was – in his hands because that is how God wanted it to be.

By the time I had started my VA biz I had already been assisting others with blog work, writing, social meida stuff and marketing. So I simply took what I had learned and started  service based business. Social Savvy VA is becoming more than I imagined and I am simply going with God’s flow to make sure I stay on track.

Now I am finally at the point where I can branch off into coaching; so I am working on my brand and changing my business name to reflect my adjusted direction. I am working on a program now for the new online business owner so that they do not make the same mistakes I did.  It will combine all the key elements I mentioned here to help the new online business owner move into a business that will work for them. Again this is a result of passions, spiritual gifts, talents, and skills all meeting together for greatness.

Be on the lookout for this program coming in the Fall of 2009. If you are not on the LaTara Ham-Ying subscriber list, sign up today so that you are the first to know when the program opens.

This is what I want to encourage you to do. Look at your gifts, talents, and skills. Use them to help you determine if you are on the right path for your online business idea or if you need to rethink your path. Don’t be afraid to change your course and tell the naysayer to just leave you alone.

Work with what you know and watch your life and business take on new levels of success!