Believe it or not, your manners could be costing you a lot of money. Whether you are making a first impression or maintaining a business relationship, customers pay attention to what you wear and how you behave. Proper etiquette and appearance speaks volumes about how you do business, how you treat your customers and makes people more eager to work with you. It is important to have a clean appearance and clean behavior when selling cleaning services.

“Manners are what make people comfortable with each other, having good manners puts people at ease and people want to do business when they feel at ease,” says Lydia Ramsey, author of Manners that Sell: Adding the Polish that Builds Profits. “Customers want to do business with people they like, and customers like people with good manners.”

Polishing up professional etiquette really can make a difference in business. Here are a few tips for enhancing a professional image.

Clean appearance
Proper dress is critical when meeting with customers, especially new ones. You only have one chance to make a first impression, and a lot of times that happens before you even speak.

“Long before people hear your voice, they will see you,” says Dan Draper, president of Nationwide Janitorial Services, a contractor in South Bend, Ind. “People tend to judge you by the cover they see. In business, you are truly the representative for your company, so why make it difficult for yourself? You should not only look the part, but act it as well.”

Draper requires his employees to be properly dressed when interfacing with clients.

“I insist that people are neat and clean,” he says. “You don’t need to wear a suit made by Armani or Hugo Boss, but you need to be dressed for the occasion.”

“The first thing I try to do is present a professional appearance,” adds Don Harmon, president of Cardinal Maintenance Service Inc., Grand Rapids, Mich. “You always want to have a neat appearance: shoes shined, pants pressed, shirt pressed. Make sure everything looks good.”

Harmon says he actually has secured accounts based on his clean appearance.

“I’ll tell you a story,” he says with a chuckle. “About two years after we got this particular contract; the gentleman in charge told me that he made his decision based on the fact that I always came in on time, my shoes were always shined — he noticed that — and I that looked very neat. He told me that if I kept myself that orderly and clean, that [he knew I was] going to do the same with a cleaning company.”

When it comes to wardrobe decisions, it is a good idea to match attire to that of the client.

“I always try to make sure that I’m dressed accordingly,” Harmon says. “If it’s the type of business that wears a suit, I wear a suit. If it’s at a more casual level, I try to go in at that level.”

Clean communication
In addition, it’s important for your communication skills to be as polished as your appearance.

“Communication is like the thread which runs through a pearl necklace. It is invisible, yet without it everything would fall apart,” says Pamela Jett Aal, professional speaker and communications expert in Mesa, Ariz.

Good listening plays an integral role in business etiquette. People who have good listening skills with their customers create a friendly working atmosphere.

“Nothing says to someone that you value and respect them more than when you are a good listener,” Jett Aal says. She adds that making eye contact, smiling and asking open-ended questions will demonstrate to your customers that you are listening and interested in what they have to say.

“First and foremost, you want be a good listener, because it demonstrates that you are definitely interested [in your customers] instead of just going through the motions,” she says.

Establishing a comfort level with customers helps foster a business relationship. In order to establish a comfortable level of communication, Harmon advises taking time with customers to find out what their interests are.

“Talk about your customer’s interests rather than your own,” he says. “Once I discover what [my client’s] particular interests are, I like to spend a little time talking about it with them so that it’s not all business.”

But while is good to touch on personal interests with customers, but don’t get too personal. Avoid revealing too much information.

“Sometimes there are things that people just don’t need to know about you — or want to know about you,” Harmon advises.

Also, it can be detrimental to engage in political discussions or tell jokes that are in poor taste. These subjects should be avoided completely. The goal is to establish a comfort level with clients, not alienate or offend them.

“I think it’s extremely important to avoid off-color humor or anything that would have any derogatory or hidden meaning toward any ethnic or cultural background. That should never be in one’s vocabulary,” Draper says.

Putting it in writing
Writing a letter is another positive communication method.

“I think that putting something into writing sends a powerful message,” Jett Aal says. Letters can add a very professional as well as personal touch.

“There’s something about having a letter, whether it is hand-written or typed on a word processor,” she adds. “It shows that something important happened — because you took the time to write it an put it into an envelope.”

However, there are some things that should be avoided when communicating with customers.

“You want to avoid using phrases such as ‘I know just how you feel’ or ‘I know exactly what you mean’ and using phrases like that to springboard into telling your story,” Jett Aal says. The goal is to keep the conversation focused on the needs and interests of the customer, she adds.

Ramsey says that when forging a professional relationship, the best thing to do is consider your client.

“Always focus on the other person,” she says. “I suggest following what I call ‘the rule of 12,’ which is focusing on the first 12 words you say to your clients. Make sure to always say ‘thank you,’ and always use the customer’s name — it will make them feel more appreciated.”

As far as etiquette in general, Draper suggests that simple follow through and polite behavior should always be a consideration when working with clients. Being honest and delivering the goods as promised goes a long way with customers.

“The core of the issue is being up front, honest and truthful,” Draper says.

Benjamin F. Walker is an industry writer in Salt Lake City.




POSTED ON: 11/1/2003