Deborah OConnor June 4, 2013

People do business with those they know, like and trust. They will goout of their way to deal with someone if they know that they will betreated well. People that maintain a culture of respect, tolerance,goodwill and professionalism are always sought out. There is no doubtthat your manners, behavior, and how you carry yourself in businesssituations determine your success or failure. Your ability tocommunicate effectively with others is vital to your business success.If you don’t have strong social skills and manners, you won’t get far in business. You need confidence and poise and the ability to make thosearound you feel comfortable. Knowing proper etiquette gives you an auraof self-assurance that cannot be faked and those around you will alwayssense it.

Etiquette gives you the power and presence to knowwhat to do in most business situations. From introductions to tablemanners to business card exchanges to knowing the rules ofintroductions, you will appear confident and self-assured. When youconduct yourself confidently in these situations, you always impress.You set yourself apart from the your competition and come across assomeone with poise and intelligence.

Good business etiquettespeaks volumes and raises the bar for anyone who takes the time to learn it. Remember, those who play by the rules succeed. You will increaseyour business steadily because people want to deal with you. If youdon’t make an effort, business opportunities simply won’t come your way. Wouldn’t you rather deal with someone who is polite, knowledgeable, and confident?

If you are still not convinced that the power ofetiquette is real, think about this. Most people won’t really notice ifyou eat properly, use the correct utensils, and have good table manners. But I guarantee you they will notice if you put your roll on theirplate, drink out of their wine glass, spill on the tablecloth, wave your utensils around while you are talking, speak with your mouth full, blow on your soup, or cut your meat up into little pieces. They willdefinitely notice if you invade their personal space, shake their handlike a gorilla, introduce people in the wrong order, or spill your redwine on your tablemate.

Good professional manners pay off.  There is the famous true story about a gallant gentleman who noticed abug in his salad.  The horrified hostess also noticed it at the sametime, and to spare her a public embarrassment he discretely ate theinsect and said nothing about it.  Years later the grateful hostessrewarded the gentleman for his chivalry by leaving him a substantial sum of money. This probably will not happen to you, but you get the idea.

There is no substitute for proper manners and etiquette. And please rememberthat manners trump etiquette every time. By this I mean that it is verypoor manners to correct someone that has a breach of etiquette. I haveseen someone berate a tablemate for eating grapes improperly (yes, there is a proper way to eat grapes). The berater was guilty of poor manners, which was imminently worse than eating grapes improperly. Take the time to study etiquette and you will be amazed at the power you will gain in business.

Deborah O’Connor is a social strategist andfounder and president of Successful Image LLC with offices in Columbiaand Atlanta. She offers training and seminars on image management,workplace etiquette, and social skills necessary to succeed in lifeprofessionally and personally. Contact at:   [email protected]        www.successfulimage.biz