The Essentials of Business Etiquette

First and Second Impressions

Doing good work isn’t enough. Your image affects how others view your professional capabilities, and it can facilitate or detract from your upward mobility. Your appearance and manner influence your ability to build relationships, elicit respect, and put colleagues and clients at ease. Proper business etiquette helps you succeed in today’s ultracompetitive world. A lack of basic professional skills could be your downfall.

“Establishing Rapport”

Creating a connection with others gets them to like you, trust you and want to do business with you. When introducing yourself, use your full name. When the other person initiates the introduction, state your first and last names; replying with a simple “Hi” makes you appear inexperienced or timid. When you host a gathering or meeting, you should make the introductions. Name the higher ranking person first. Add a short description, such as, “Brittany Miller, this is Jennifer Cortez. Jennifer just joined us as a new sales representative. Brittany is the manager of sales training.” Everyone worries about forgetting someone’s name. If this happens, apologize, politely ask for the person’s name...