The Number 1 Rule for Businesses - Be Professional
The #1 Rule for Businesses - Be Professional
By Denise Hall (C) 2003
Have you ever walked into a store and things looked sloppy?
Stores should have nice neat displays, right? Normally, yes, but
sometimes they get a bit messy on busy days and we all
understand how that can happen.
But what if you were to walk into a store as soon as it opened
in the morning and the place looked liked it had been ransacked?
What would you think?
You'd probably think it wasn't very professional-looking. If a
rack of shirts was haphazardly thrown together, with all the
styles, colors and sizes mixed up, you'd probably walk right
past it without giving it a second glance.
If a sales associate wouldn't answer your questions or help you
find something, you would consider that unprofessional, too, not
to mention rude.
When we do business in the offline world we expect a
professional appearance and professional manner from those who
deal with customers. The same is true for online businesses.
Your business depends on how professional you are. Your website,
your customer service and the appearance and quality of your
work all reflect upon you, the business owner.
Two key factors of professionalism:
1. Good Customer Service/Relations
2. Quality Appearance and Writing Skills
Recently I had problems submitting information to several
websites. After trying for several days I finally e-mailed for
technical support. (After all, the website owners had messages
posted that said to contact them at any time.)
I didn't expect an immediate reply to my inquiries. I know
they're busy running their businesses, and dealing with other
people, too. But I have yet to receive any replies.
Where is the customer service? Why would I want to do business
with someone who seems to be ignoring me? At the very least, if
it typically takes them more than a couple of days to reply to
e-mail, support questions or other requests, they should post
that information on their website so customers/visitors know
what to expect.
Without good customer service, you're shooting yourself in the
foot. Don't expect customers to buy from you if you can't afford
them some common courtesy.
A professional appearance is mandatory to your business, also.
How many times have you read an ad or article that had numerous
spelling or grammatical errors?
We're not perfect. We all make mistakes. But if we frequently
had those little red check marks on our composition papers in
school, we should probably use spell check and have someone
proof-read our copy before sending it into cyberspace.
A prime example is a website I visited a few months ago. As I
started reading about the product the owner was selling I
noticed an error with the use of the word "our." The site said
"When you use "are" product....." OK, one little mistake. No big
deal.
However, as I continued reading, I discovered the webmaster
referred to "are" products and "are" website on the whole page!
Not once was the correct word, "our," used.
Frequently I read ads and articles that contain many spelling or
punctuation errors. For instance, "Thinking back to when I first
started my business. I had no idea how or where to begin."
I'm not a teacher, but I can see that it should be one sentence,
not two. The writer cut off the first sentence before actually
finishing it. It's like the train of thought came to a
screeching halt. (In this case, I'm the writer giving you an
example. So if this sentence resembles someone else's work, it
was not done intentionally.)
The correct way to write it is "Thinking back to when I first
started my business, I had no idea how or where to begin." It's
one flowing sentence. Now it tells you what I was thinking.
Another option is to change it just a bit to make it a complete
sentence. "I think back to when I first started my business" or
"I remember when I first started my business." Then continue to
the second sentence.
I'm not wanting to demean anyone or be overly picky. Ads, web
pages and articles just look much more professional when written
with no errors, or at least very minor ones.
Many customers will shy away from a website or ad that seems
poorly written or put together. The customer may see the
business owner as an amateur, therefore their product, company
or service may not be worth much.
Do your customers expect perfection? No. But they do expect
professionalism. You're running a business, so you're supposed
to be a professional. If you give a professional appearance,
they'll believe in you and your business.