🥗 Talk Less, Win More!

AuthorAuthor

Ron Shah & Ash Melwani
March 20, 2024

Hey there,

Welcome back for another bite to chew on.

This week, we've lined up something that might just shift your perspective on success in entrepreneurship. 

It’s about the undercurrent that powers through every deal, negotiation, and partnership: 

People Skills. 

These concepts and strategies were absolutely vital on the Shoptalk floor this past week.

If you took the time to chat with us, we want to say, THANK YOU!

We appreciate each and every one of you for spending time out of your busy schedule to hear what all we’re building.

Using all the insights below, we created foundations for some future partnerships we can’t wait to talk to you all about.

But for now,

Let’s dive into why mastering the art of human connection is not just nice to have, 

It's a must-have.

Listen to Get More Done

We often celebrate the movers and shakers, the ones who speak up. 

But let’s pivot our focus towards the quiet strength of listening. 

It’s about creating a space where ideas and feedback can flow freely, leading to insights and innovations you might have missed. 

This has played a big role for us.

Especially when it comes to a launch, Black Friday sale or a big promotion.

There are a lot of moving pieces and usually we'll have an all-hands meeting where we explain the entire launch calendar and the assets that are needed.

You need to know exactly what everybody's going to be doing.

So once we go through the brief, we always take time for everyone to ask a few questions.

You’ll have times where it’s your turn to speak,

But then there are also times where it'll be more of a just get it done type of thing.

Focus on listening.

This way, you can know exactly what assets you’ll need to deliver.

For those types of meetings, definitely ask questions. 

Because there's a lot of moving parts and nobody wants to repeat themselves twice. 

And you don't want to be doing work that you weren't even assigned to do

How to Truly Connect with People

Building rapport is more than just making a good first impression. 

It’s about establishing trust and understanding,

Forming a connection that’s more than just transactional. 

Whether you’re on phone calls all day,

Handle the product development side of things,

Or are in constant contact with manufacturers,

Everyone has a unique energy that you need to match.

Let's say Person X is this energetic and family person.

They have this big family and you know that that's something you can align with them on. 

Ask how their son’s Little League game went or “Hey, I heard you were dropping your daughter off at college,” etc.

Show genuine interest in what’s important to them,

Instead of having the relationship only be about what YOU can get from them.

It just makes everything more trustworthy between you two.

We have a manufacturer that’s super into golf. 

Every time we get on the phone, we'll talk to him about a bad round last week, or he'll talk about this great birdie he had on hole nine the other other day.

Having that rapport with someone and genuinely being able to match someone's energy is so important

Because you have to be likable.

When people you're doing business with like you,

That means they genuinely like doing business with you. 

Everything doesn't need to be so structured because they know you as a person.

Speaking of building relationships, let’s extend that conversation into the future of eCommerce. 

A virtual event on March 27th, at 12:00pm EST.

It's a unique opportunity to explore next-gen strategies with leaders from Brez, Crossnet, and top eCommerce SaaS companies. 

Plus, attendees have a shot at winning an Apple Vision Pro and more. 

Don’t miss this chance to shape the future of eCommerce with us!

An Optimistic Outlook

Here’s a thought: 

What if we approached every interaction with optimism? 

Try this especially when it comes to the creative aspects of your brand.

When we go to hire a creative agency,

We’re usually hiring that creative agency to think or bring ideas that we don't already have. 

So, if we were to assume the worst in them,

We would probably be micromanaging and giving them ideas we’ve already thought of,

And then they'd just be bringing them to life.

But usually when you go hire a creative agency,

You want them to think outside the box. 

You want them to bring their own ideas. 

Stuff you wouldn't ever think of.

We always find that the big wins come when you let people own their domain.

If we’re hiring you, it's usually so that you can own it. 

We don’t hire people to teach them. 

Ankit stresses this to us a lot.

He always preaches people should come in ready to go and ready to design. 

And if you're not, then then this place is probably not going to work for you.

Any time somebody comes to us as a designer or agency,

We always assume that they're going to do outstanding work. 

Of course, it doesn't work all the time. 

But when it does, it's beautiful.

You would have never discovered their potential if you had been micromanaging them and assuming the worst.

Be the Person You’d Walk Up to

Effective communication is the backbone of any successful enterprise. 

This isn’t just about the words you choose;

It’s about conveying your vision and listening to those around you. 

Networking is everything. 

But beyond that, it really is just people skills. 

You have to be a likable person in that room.

It's crazy because you almost have to be a little bit of a chameleon.

The way you talk to your friends outside of work should be different than how you talk to your networking colleagues.

It doesn’t have to be night and day. 

You still want your personality to shine through. 

But when you're giving a presentation, nobody likes a super structured slide reading.

You want things to go smoothly and roll fluidly. 

And when you can understand people, it's a lot easier to do, 

Especially when you understand the audience that you're dealing with. 

When it comes to communication skills and public speaking in general,

We’re not the best at it. 

And we can tell you that upfront.

But we think we've gotten a lot better in the last few years

Especially with all the Chew On This events where you're constantly talking to people in the industry. 

Now, when we go to events,

We know exactly how to approach each person at every step, 

Because we know them. 

And then we also know how to speak to new people and how to get to know them.

Because, again, 

People do business with people they like.

Tool of the Week

Navigating the challenge of abandoned carts is another must-have for e-commerce success. 

With iOS updates making accurate tracking tougher, 

We found ourselves missing out on key insights and sales opportunities. 

That's until we started working with Elevar. 

They completely changed our approach to conversion tracking, 

Helping us reclaim lost sales and skyrocket our abandoned cart revenue by 275%. 

Elevar's precision in capturing every customer interaction made all the difference,

Turning potential losses into wins. 

If your tracking feels like guesswork, it's time to consider Elevar.

The Latest Soundbite

Don't miss our podcast episode with Alex Lieberman, the brains behind Morning Brew!

Alex dives into the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial adventure, revealing the magic of building strong relationships and the sheer force of a clear vision. 

This episode perfectly echoes the transformative power of people skills in business. 

Tune in for an epic ride through the world of startups!

Hungry for More?

Hot off our Shoptalk event with over 120 founders in Las Vegas,

Now, we’re setting our sights east to Salt Lake City!

Network with the best of the best of the Utah eCom community on

Monday, March 25th at 7:00pm MST at the official Domopalooza x Chew On This Founders Event!

Thanks for Reading Along

As we wrap up this edition, 

Remember that the heart of entrepreneurship beats not just through innovation but through empathy, understanding, and connection. 

These skills forge not only successful businesses but lasting legacies.

If you've experienced how a focus on people skills has transformed your business,

We’d love to hear your story. 

Always feel free to reach out to us over on social media:

Ron: @obviceo and LinkedIn

Here’s to enriching your business with depth, understanding, and genuine connections.

All the best,

Ron & Ash