BPP Newsletter: January 2009
Mind Your Manners. Mind Your Business.
If you want to give yourself an edge in the boardroom you'd be well advised to brush up on your Ps and Qs. In today's challenging business environment, the way that we manage our client relationships is crucial.
Here are some simple tips and advice to assist executives who want to improve their manners and ensure better relationships with clients, suppliers and colleagues.
Having bad manners can prove costly and result in a deal being lost, a relationship tarnished, or an opportunity missed. In a recent survey conducted on www.bpp.ie, 100% of respondents said they value manners in their business dealings.
- In addition, 95% of respondents would take action if treated well by a business.
- 40% of people would mention their positive experience to other people if they are treated well by a business
- 40% would refer others to a business that has treated them well and 15% would go out of their way to do business with a company that has treated them well
When asked what they would do if they were on the receiving end of bad manners, 26% said they would move their business elsewhere.
These are significant figures and Irish business owners and managers should take note. Simply put, bad manners are bad for business.
In this issue:
- Greetings and introductions
- Manners in the workplace
- Meeting manners
- Business functions and conferences
- Telephone and email
- Top ten business etiquette mistakes
- Where can I learn more?
- Some final pointers to remember
Greetings and introductions
At the most basic level, you should always introduce people who don't know each other, using both first name and surname. It helps if you can give a piece of information about each person to help the conversation flow; you might mention the organisation they work for or their particular area of expertise. If somebody joins the group and you have met them before you should introduce them and try to involve them in the conversation. The worst thing that you can do is ignore someone that you have met before so always acknowledge someone that you have met. If you have forgotten their name, you should apologise for forgetting their name but remind them of where you met before to show that you do remember meeting them.
Manners in the workplace
Manners in the workplace are no different to manners in daily life, the purpose being to put people at their ease. However, most people have experienced bad manners and inappropriate behaviour. It's very bad manners to swear or make racist, sexist or otherwise inappropriate jokes because you never know who you might offend. Other common examples are being overly personal with colleagues or clients; yawning in meetings; personal hygiene issues and aggressive behaviour. When talking to clients or colleagues try to be positive and don't forget to smile.
Meeting manners
The people that you are with always take precedence to phone calls. As a general rule, you should switch your mobile off or put it on "silent" during meetings. Sometimes it's necessary to take a phone call during a meeting so if you're waiting on a call that's pertinent to the meeting, or a call relating to an urgent personal matter, you should always ask your colleagues permission to leave your phone on silent mode and excuse yourself when the call comes in. Leaving your mobile switched on during a meeting shows a lack of respect towards the people you're meeting.
Punctuality is incredibly important in business so you should always allow plenty of time to get to meetings. However, the opposite is not true - being too early can also be bad manners. You should aim to be no more than five minutes early for a meeting, because if you are too early you may put the person that you are meeting under unnecessary pressure.
Business functions and conferences
When attending a business function or conference, bear in mind that you're still representing your company. Being out of the office does not give you licence to relax the standards that are normally expected.
Functions and conferences can be a good opportunity to make important contacts. However, up to 40% of all adults have some degree of social anxiety which can translate inadvertently into bad social skills and a poor approach to other people. Most people equate bad manners with a lack of respect and even incompetence. Your inability to handle yourself as expected could be expensive. No one will tell you the real reason why you didn't get the promotion, win the deal or make the cut for a social engagement.
New communications methods have created fresh challenges when it comes to etiquette. Shouting on the phone can be irritating to the person you're speaking to or indeed people in your vicinity. If you're in an area with bad coverage, simply apologise and say you'll call back in a few minutes.
It's also polite to wait till the other person has hung up before you slam the receiver down; it's bad manners and could appear that you were hoping to end the call sooner than you did. When it comes to text messages and email, bear in mind that not everyone is fond of, or can understand, abbreviated "text speak". Emails should always be returned within the working day. Even if you don't have the answer to the query, you should email your client or business contact with a response and clarify when you will have a full answer for them.
If you're using public transport, it might be best to exercise caution when using your mobile phone or accessing your email. Up to two thirds of people have overheard mobile phone conversations in a public place and 40% of respondents have looked at information on another person's laptop while travelling by plane or train. Ireland is a very small place and we should all be cautious when working out of the office and using laptops or any business material in public.
Top ten business etiquette mistakes:
- 1. Negative attitudes
- 2. Sloppy message taking
- 3. Making people wait
- 4. Criticising people in front of others
- 5. Disregard for social courtesies at business events
- 6. Errors with names
- 7. Vulgar language
- 8. Inappropriate clothing
- 9. Foregoing introductions
- 10. Giving someone the run around
We provide cost effective, tailored business etiquette programmes which address a growing problem for Irish industry. From new recruits to reception staff, from sales people to senior managers, manners training can benefit all company employees. The courses can be conducted at a company's own premises or at an off site location anywhere in Ireland. We also deliver individual sessions for clients who are preparing for an interview, important meeting or event or even for people setting up a new business or embarking on a career change.
For further details on the business etiquette courses offered by BPP, please visit our business eitquette section of this website, email Pamela Fay on pamela@bpp.ie or call 086 173 7125.
Some final pointers to remember:
- Ensure that the tone of your conversation is positive
- Make good eye contact
- Do not swear
- Pay attention to those around you
- Have respect and consideration for your colleagues and clients
- Respect the confidentiality of the business that you are in
- Smile
Remember, manners indicate respect for your colleagues, clients and business contacts and they cost nothing. A lack of manners can prove very costly if you lose a customer or miss out on a business deal so treat other people the way you would like to be treated, with respect and consideration for their feelings and needs. As Warren Buffet said: "It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you will do things differently."