Etiquette Expert Cindy Grosso

The Polished Professional

The ability to command a room

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The ability to command a room – making a powerful entrance
– part one

In today’s business world, networking, meetings, speaking engagements are all often common events that business professionals attend.  A component of being a polished professional is the ability to command a room.

Commanding a room starts before you even enter the room.  It starts with intentional situational awareness and the understanding of how to enter a room in a powerful manner.

Tips on how to enter a room in a powerful manner.

  1. Make sure you are dressed appropriately for the event. Attire is an important component of how you present yourself.
  2. Before you even enter, go into the bathroom and power pose for two minutes to change your body’s chemistry. (Harvard Study conducted by Amy Cuddy – see her TED talk) Power pose by getting as big as you can (supermen pose or arms and legs extended out as far as you can) for two minutes. This will raise your testosterone (your confidence hormone) and lower your cortisol level (your stress hormone).
  3. Pause just before entering the room and be aware of how you are getting ready to enter, realizing people are focused on the entrance to a room.
  4. Posture yourself again to take up as much space as possible, however this time within the framework of your body. Getting big in your body’s framework allows you to look more confident. (Refer to number two)
  5. Walk leading from the chi or the center core of your body. This prevents you from walking with your head out in front and slumping your shoulders.
  6. Put a smile on your face. A smile is a sign of confidence. People who are nervous, scared or anxious are not smiling. A smile calms you and the people with whom you come in contact.
  7. Slow down your walk. Do not rush into the room.
  8. Once you enter, step to the right of the entrance walkway and pause for a few moments to be situational aware of the room layout, food, people, etc.
  9. Do not rush over to the food or drink. Trying to handle plates, glasses, drinks, napkins, etc. is often awkward. If you are really hungry eat something before you go.

Do not underestimate the power of a first impression that often starts as you enter a room. How you enter a room will determine your ability to command it.

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The Other Front Door in Business

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Statistics show that 75 to 80 percent of business today is conducted over a smart phone or a company landline. Many times you may not even meet the person whom you are dealing.  With this being true, business owners must come to the realization that their company has two front doors. Most businesses today get far more phone calls then walk in visitors. Business owners must recognize their landline is an important entrance into their business.

The person greeting your guests on the telephone, sets the tone of professionalism of your office.  She/he can enhance your business or be a handicap that you cannot afford.  I once read, “Your business is only as good as your worst employee.”  This possibly being the case, it is essential to teach your team and not assume that people know how to answer or interact professionally on the office phone.  In today’s world, many people only have smart phones. The way we answer a business phone is not the same as a personal smart phone.

Teaching your entire team how to use the office phone in a professional, proper and custom manner, which includes not only the greeting. This is a critical component of consistently delivering excellent customer experience.

The ability to make the caller feel he/she is the most important caller your company will have that day is an art and the sign of a true professional.

Here are some thoughts to help you in that endeavor:

  1. First impressions are made in person, as well as on the telephone. Of the message portrayed by the person answering the phone, 70% is based on the vocal quality and 30% based on the words. For vocal quality, I suggest people put a smile in their voice by putting a smile on their face while speaking, which enables them to speak in a pleasant manner.
  2. Answer the telephone within 2 to 3 rings.
  3. Minimize the background noise when answering the telephone.
  4. When answering the telephone, say:
    “Good morning, ABC company, this is Jane Smith, how may I help you please?“
    “Thank you for calling, ABC Company, this is Jane Smith, how may I help you please?.”
  5. Before placing a caller on hold, ask permission to do so.
  6. After placing them on hold, try to avoid leaving them for more than 30 seconds.
  7. If you answer the phone at someone else’s desk, give his or her name and then your
    name. Good afternoon, Jane Smith’s office, Donna Jones speaking.
  8. If you get disconnected, the caller is the one responsible for calling back. Not calling
    back is like walking out on someone while they are speaking.
  9. If you must return a call, return the call as soon as possible, responding after 24 hours is considered impolite and requires an apology.
  10. When you are placing a call, identify yourself: Hello, this is Jane Smith of ABC Company, may I speak with John Doe, please?
  11. When you reach the desired person, ask if it is a convenient time to talk.
  12. Be aware of your time, talking too long is the same as over staying your welcome. You can monitor your calls with a clock if this is an issue for you. When you reach a reasonable time, politely thank the caller for calling, and end the call on a positive note.

Professional telephone etiquette is a valuable component of sales and customer service that is too often overlooked. Statistics also show that indifference by an employee towards a client is the largest reason why customers leave you; an indifference that could happen before you even get the chance to do business. The training of your team should be as important as product development, marketing, advertising, etc.

Proper telephone etiquette is a significant component of greeting guests through this entrance to your business…the other front door.

To learn more on Professionalism in business please click here.

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Being personally disruptive in a professional way

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In my last blog post I wrote about how were are living in a disruptive world. As things are changing and changing quickly.  Technology has had a lot to do with disruption in every business market.  Having more information, faster and easier enables our clients to be well informed, savvy consumers….and that is great!

There is more to it than that however, with more information often times comes more choices and studies indicate that more options often makes it hard for consumers to make a decision, which can lead to no action.

So the demand for professionals to be personally interactive with their clients to help clear up the information overload and be able to distill it into useful knowledge is becoming more and more important.  However, when we focus on the task and not the people, being personally interactive in this faster than a speeding bullet society, small but important things may be overlooked.

The deepest need your business client has is the need to be important. Your ability to personally interact with excellence will elevate your value in the client’s eyes.

So how do we make them feel important?

Here are just a few quick thoughts on the subject:

  1. Use you client’s name (with title when appropriate)…often. The sweetest words to someone is their name.  People like to hear their name and using their name gives them honor and importance.
  2. Communicate with a method that they prefer. Ask “How is the best way to communicate with you telephone, email, text, in person?” Realize your favored way may not be theirs. This could a generational difference or just a preference, but communicate using the method they prefer.
  3. Respond in a timely manner. Responding to people is important and even though we have all the technology in the world, people still do not return phone calls or emails at all or in timely manner. 24 hours for telephone and 48 hours for email is the generally accepted etiquette suggestion. Texts are acceptable, but considered to be less formal and for quick messages only in business.
  4. Listen. When you listen to someone you are pushing the pause button on your life and giving the person you are listening to importance. Listening is such an important skill and it is interesting that only two percent of people have had any training on this interpersonal skill.
  5. Show appreciation to your customer or client and thank them for their business. There are a wide variety of ways to show appreciation and thank someone in business from a simple thank you note to thoughtful verbal words or a number of small acts of kindness.

These are just a few quick suggestions on letting your clients know they are important to you.  These often overlooked thoughts are part of the one percent you are doing better than anyone else that will set you apart from the many competitors in your industry.

These small things put together make up the excellence you deliver and can make you personally disruptive in a professional way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Business Card-The Handshake You Leave Behind

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smaller business cards

The Business Card…The Handshake You Leave Behind
                                                                                   Letitia Baldrige

 

Your business card and the handling thereof is a reflection of you personally and professionally.  It can tell a lot about you.  A business card can be part of the first impression someone has of you and part of the lasting memory you leave with them as well.  It is as important as your handshake.  In fact, it is the handshake you leave behind.

Although I have seen different shapes and sizes, business card size is pretty much standard.  Be careful however, as large cards sometimes will not fit into wallets, card cases or business card readers.

Everything from the color, to the layout, to the graphics, etc. reflects upon you and your company.  Listed on the card should be the company’s name or logo, the person’s name and title, business address, email address, fax number and telephone in that order, by the way.  I recommend to people; keep your card simple. Sometimes a busy card is too hard to read.

Use good quality stock, with engraved or thermograph print.  Be proud to hand someone your card. If your cards are of poor quality they will probably look discounted, and therefore you may look second-rate to those who are left with your card to remember you.  You may come across as lacking professionalism and others in turn, may not want to do business with you.

There is etiquette to the presentation of your card to someone.

Here are 10 tips on business card savvy:

  1. Always carry your cards in a professional looking business card case.  This keeps the cards from getting bent up and soiled.
  2. Present the card with your right hand with the lettering face up to the receiving party.
  3. Never write on someone else’s card in their presence.  You can write on it as soon as you are by yourself to make note of important items to be used at a later date; such as the date you met, something about the person themselves, who referred you, projects involved with, etc. as these items may come in handy in later conversations.
  4. When presented with a card, look at it briefly before putting it away, and possibly comment about something on the card.  This lets them know you are paying attention and are interested in them.
  5. When accepting a business card, place it in your breast pocket, wallet or even in your own card case, showing that you value it.
  6. Cards are given at the beginning of the meeting. When this happens, you can place each card on the table in front of you. As with several, place them in order of your guests to help you remember names (Japanese do this).
  7. Usually the higher ranking person starts the process. The person of high position should ask for your card first.
  8. In a social situation or a party, cards should be exchanged in private.
  9. Whether at a formal dinner or McDonalds, business cards should never be brought out during the meal.
  10. Cards should be exchanged between two individuals at a time, not scattered about in a large group. People may assume you are trying to sell them something and it may devalue your card.

As part of business card etiquette, it is important to know when to personalize your card.  This is when you write on the front (or back) of your card, a short note and sign just your first name signature.  You can also put a slash through your name as printed on the front of the card.  An example of this would be when you are sending something, like a gift or various information. You could write “This may be of help to you, All the best,” followed by your first name signature.

If you travel internationally, and there is a specific country you are dealing with on a regular basis, I recommend that you duplicate your information on the reverse side of the card in the language of that country.  Be sure to have your title on this card, because knowing your rank and status are of the utmost importance when dealing internationally. Know the custom in the country you are dealing with, as there are definite protocols of card giving that vary by country.

Being aware of what your business card says about you personally and professionally is the first step in wanting to understand the savvy associated with this part of doing business.

 

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True Leadership is about Excellence

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Businessman holding heart shaped paper with text Confident

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”                                                                           – Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is more than one component to true leadership, as a matter of fact there are plethoras of ways that some people may think, but the heart of true leadership is about being excellent and helping your team strive for excellence

The world is changing rapidly and what people in leadership positions look like today may have changed a lot in the last few years, however, there is one thing that is constant.  True leaders are authentically excellent not only in what they do, but also in who they are uniquely created to be with humility and style.

Excellence is at the summit of true leadership, because you must be excellent to speak into and have positive impact in peoples’ lives. This is what I think many people in leadership positions are missing and part of the reason why we have such a vacuum in true leadership today.  Although they can make the numbers work and get the task done, they often have very little positive influence on the people around them.

To grow and be excellent professionally, you must first grow and be excellent personally. This is based on being confident, not only in the technical aspect of what you do, but even more importantly, in the interpersonal aspect of who you are.

The interpersonal will be how you act, interact and react to the situations and people around you.  In these moments people are always learning from you, whether you realize it or not, you are always speaking loudly about yourself.

True leadership is really more about influencing the people around you to be excellent under your leadership while delivering excellence one customer at a time.

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