|
Can You Afford What Rudeness Is Costing Your
Business? Have you
ever thought about how much rudeness may be affecting your bottom
line? What is the cost to your company when you or the people who
represent you lack proper manners? Do you know how many clients are
turned off by employees who would rather carry on a conversation with
each other than with the person who came to purchase your service or
product? Can you count the number of people who hang up and call
someone else because the person who answered your phone put them on
hold without asking permission? How does the client rate your
professionalism when the employee who welcomes him to your office
looks as if she is dressed for a day at the beach? Do your employees
understand that it is more offensive then friendly to call the client
by first name unless asked to do so? Are your employees treating each
other with courtesy and respect? Do they honor the invisible walls of
each other's cubicles? Do they work as a team and help each other or
do they act like cast members on Survivor?
In today's fast-
paced business world where too many people claim that they don't have
time to be nice, it's easy to overlook the details that can help you
grow your business, increase your profits and build long lasting
client relationships.
Try taking this quick true/false quiz
to test your own business etiquette expertise. Then run it by your
employees.
1. Business etiquette is based on rank and
hierarchy. True/False
2. If the information on your business card
is incorrect, draw a line through it and write the correct
information on the card. True/False
3. Business casual means
dressing down one notch from business professional. True/False
4.
In today's relaxed business environment, it is not necessary to ask
your clients' permission before using their first names.
True/False
5. Callers do not mind holding for information as much
as holding for a person. True/False
6. You don't have to smile or
make eye contact with your customers unless you feel like it.
True/False
7. Handwritten notes are out of place in the business
world. True/False
8. A man should wait for a woman to put out her
hand in business before offering his. True/False
9. When
composing an e-mail message, complete the "To" line last.
True/False
10. Small talk around the office is a waste of time.
True/False
11. People can hear you eating, drinking and chewing
over the phone. True/False
12. If you receive a call on your cell
phone when you are with a client, look to see who is calling, but
don't answer it. True/False
Answers:
1. True. In
business, you always defer to the senior or highest ranking person,
regardless of age or gender.
2. False. Handing out business cards
with information that is outdated or crossed off is unprofessional.
Have new cards printed immediately.
3. True. Business casual is
not an excuse to wear your favorite old clothes to the office. It is
still business, and everyone needs to look professional.
4.
False. Don't assume because our work world has become more informal
that you can call clients by their first name. Use their titles and
last names until they ask you to do otherwise.
5. True. Clients
will wait contentedly while you search for information, working on
their behalf. However, if they have to wait more than thirty seconds
for you to come to the phone, they begin to wonder how much you value
them or want their business.
6. False. This is only true if you
are planning a going-out-of-business sale. Every client deserves a
genuine smile and eye contact.
7. False. Handwritten notes have
become almost as extinct as the typewriter. You will stand out from
your competition every time you send off a short note written in your
own hand.
8. False. Every woman should be prepared to shake hands
as soon as she meets someone in business. For either a man or woman
to hesitate could indicate a lack of confidence.
9. True. You can
send e-mail without inserting an attachment, without checking for
grammar and punctuation and without a subject line; but you cannot
send e-mail without an address. If you wait until you have carefully
proofed your message and added all attachments before you complete
the "To " line, you will never be embarrassed or have to
apologize for your mistakes.
10. False. Small talk carried on at
the right time, in the right place and on the right subject is a
great way to build relationships among co-workers.
11. True.
Mouth noises are even louder over the phone. Just because your
clients can't see you eating those potato chips doesn't mean they
can't hear you munching on the other end of the line.
12. False.
It is just as rude to pull out your phone to see who called as it is
to have it on and take a call in front of a client. Turn your phone
off and check your messages later in private.
If you had
trouble with any of these questions, your employees will, too. If you
want your employees to be at ease in business situations, to
represent you well and help build your business, give them the
information they need. If you haven't done basic business etiquette
skills training lately, do it now. Don't let rude behavior cost you
business.
Make sure that your employees know how to handle
clients over the phone, that they understand the importance of being
attentive and alert to clients' needs, that the value other people's
time and that they can deal with difficult people and situations with
grace.
No one is born with good manners. People have to be
taught, and from time to time, they need to be reminded of what they
already know.
© Lydia Ramsey. All rights reserved. Reprint
rights granted so long as article and by-line are published intact
and with all links made live.
 
About the
Author  Lydia Ramsey is a business etiquette expert,
professional speaker, corporate trainer and author of MANNERS THAT
SELL: Adding The Polish That Builds Profits. She has been
quoted or featured in The New York Times, Investors' Business Daily,
Entrepreneur, Inc., Real Simple and Woman's Day. For more
information about her programs, products and services, e-mail her at
lydia@mannersthatsell.com or visit
her web site http://www.mannersthatsell.com
Return to Articles
by Lydia Ramsey |
