Tight budgets aside, corporate America has been spending money to make sure that when business travelers hit the road, they don't leave their manners behind.
That insight comes from Cynthia Lett, whose Maryland-based Group business etiquette consulting company is doing “better than ever,” she says, even as more and more independent experts are offering similar services to companies.
“Companies in tight budget times will look at what's best for the bottom line,” said Lett, founder and chief executive officer of the Lett Group in Silver Spring. “Their customers are the most important thing and (the customers’) perception of a business hinges totally on what they think of its employees. We've been getting a lot of business,” she said."
One popular program, Lett said in an interview, covers a business relationship from entrance to exit: “The greeting, handshake, gifts, conversation, conversation skills, entertaining skills, how to handle yourself at a reception.” Other topics include how to extend and accept invitations, written correspondence, telephone etiquette, cell phones and voice mails.
One of the biggest problem areas today, she said, is the inappropriate use of cell phones and other hand-held communication devices. “At a dinner its never, never appropriate to answer a cellular telephone,” Lett said. Where there might be an exception—such as a physician on call— “you need to tell people at the table. And, if you get called, stand up, go to a quiet place, and take it.”
Using some hand-held devices can be an insult because the user's attention is fixed on them and not on the company at hand, she said. “Most people who have BlackBerries have a sense of power, that they're always in touch. Their e-mails are always in front of them, so they turn them on and ignore everyone around them,” Lett said. “That's the biggest problem.”
It also creates an awkward distraction for those nearby who have to watch big fingers or fingers with long nails trying to navigate small keyboards on such devices.
Speaking loudly when using a cell phone is not only in ill consideration of those around them, she adds, but “I know of companies that have lost contracts because a competitor was listening inadvertently.”
Lett also offers this advice:
- When extending a dinner or lunch meeting invitation, find a couple of different restaurants near the customer's office, perhaps by consulting a hotel concierge in advance, and let the customer make the choice. Asking the client to pick the spot "puts them on the defensive. They don't know how much money you want to spend," she said. "Don't put them in that position."
- On an airplane, when going down the aisle, hold your carry-on bag in front of you, not on the shoulder where it can swing and hit fellow passengers. And do not stand in the aisle discussing business with a colleague in such a way that people nearby, including possible competitors, have no choice but to overhear.
Lett numbers AT&T, MCI, Bank of America and Hilton Hotels among her clients. Information on her company be found at http://www.lettgroup.com. A longer report on this topic, which featured Lett among others, appears in the Spring issue of Executive Travel magazine.
A search for “business etiquette” on the Internet will turn up dozens of other sources. One interesting discussion of proper behavior and standards for video conferences can be found at the Emily Post site, http://www.emilypost.com/etiquette/business under the “etiquette tips” link.
