By JOHNNY CARCIOPPOLO / Community Columnist

This week we take a deeper dive on how you can increase your business opportunities 25 percent, 50 percent even 75 percent by developing style versatility and communicating based on others’ personal behavioral style.

The secret to success has been a subject of many studies and a quest for all entrepreneurs. However, only few have discovered the secret. These entrepreneurs have already experienced success and failures as well, with proven ability to sustain a business past the first year into the high-growth years of a young firm. They tend to value learning and developing professional skills that are vital for success.

What is the defining characteristic of successful entrepreneurship? Understanding the premise that values are the motivators that initiate our behavior, one of the most important characteristics is that they understand the values they hold dear, which explains why they hold certain attitudes, and why they choose to act. For example, studies indicate that successful entrepreneurs have a drive for:

1. A practical return on time and money spent
2. Knowledge, discovery and continuous learning
3. Personal power, influence and control over their environment

Focusing on business building behavior that works, the highly successful entrepreneurs are:

1. Very competitive
2. Open to strategic change
3. Elevated learning capacity
4. Not confined to rules

Understanding one’s values and behavioral motivations are key elements to success; however, it is vital to be a skilled and versatile communicator. Key to this ability is not only to understand yourself, but also to understand the behavioral styles of others and learn how to adapt to build solid and positive relationships with all styles.

Remember “Communication is EVERYTHING.”

Next week’s article will be Part 3.