Have you ever forwarded an e-mail to the wrong person by mistake?
Have you ever had to wonder if a business client received a gift, because they failed to acknowledge it with a quick phone call, email or handwritten note?
Have you ever put someone on speakerphone without letting them know?
Have you ever formed an impression about someone just by the way they dress, or the way they shook your hand?
Have you ever been asked to a business lunch and assumed the person who invited you would pick up the check?
Etiquette Matters
No matter what business you’re in, you’re in the relationship management business. People do business with people they like. Without question, details matter. Etiquette plays a subtle, but important role in business.
But what is good business etiquette?
What most people call good business etiquette is really little more than common sense, driven by being considerate, respectful and honest with others in your business life. It’s not a set of ironclad rules. It’s equating good manners with good business sense. But these days when everybody is in a rush and people are more apt to send a quick e-mail instead of a handwritten note, it’s so easy to forget how much courtesy counts in business.
Good or bad, we constantly make impressions, by the way we dress, communicate and even by the way we respond to colleagues and clients. Good relationships are important both in the workplace, making deals with outsiders and even networking after hours. Good etiquette can help your career, but social faux pas can be especially damaging during hard economic times. But no one is immune from a bad first impression. Sometimes situations are beyond our control, and sometimes people just make mistakes. There’s no standard way to handle a given situation. But there are two things that will never fail you: Honesty and sincerity. You’ll be surprised, that it’s never as bad as it looks. Admit mistakes and focus on problem solving.
