How To Close A Business Email

Posted by Barbara Jones on September 24, 2008 – 3:26 pm -

Do you sail through composing a business email only to come to a standstill trying to decide how to sign off?  Are your business emails closed or do they just stop? 

Kristin Edelhauser has written a very interesting article, “What Your Sign-off Is Really Saying” that was published on Entrepreneur.com back in June, 2007.  Besides great advice there are specific examples included in this article.  Read the article…

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Tags: business emails, business tact, email, email closings, etiquette
Posted in Best Practices, Business Etiquette, General | No Comments »

A Simple Handshake Isn’t Simple

Posted by Barbara Jones on June 23, 2008 – 6:35 am -

An interview with Mary Starvaggi, The Etiquette Advantage

Mary Starvaggi (The Etiquette Advantage) has been an etiquette consultant for 17 years. BizCustoms sought her advice on the subject of handshake etiquette.

BC: Mary, why are handshakes such a concern in business situations?

MS: For a simple gesture, handshakes can be very confusing. I get a great many questions from both men and women about when handshakes are appropriate. In fact, handshake etiquette has changed over time as more women have entered the professional workforce. In business, a handshake is always appropriate and necessary for both men and women.

We are equally at fault in creating this confusion through differences in our behavior in business and social situations. Men do not make a distinction between business and social situations when shaking hands. They are more apt to extend their hand and give a firm handshake in every situation than women are. Socially, however, men rarely extend their hand to a woman first. They wait for her to make the first move and respond accordingly.

Women do make a distinction between business and social situations when shaking hands, but they shouldn’t. In their personal lives, women usually don’t shake hands automatically, if at all. When a woman is introduced to another woman in a social situation there is often no handshake. When I am with my husband and we are introduced to another couple it often happens that both the men will shake his hands, but not the women. However, I always shake both of their hands. This carries over into business situations where women sometimes shake hands and sometimes don’t.

BC: What sorts of questions do you get on this subject in your workshops?

MS: In one of my recent programs, a young professional woman said she had experienced a situation in which a male corporate manager shook the hands of male colleagues but not hers. She wasn’t sure how to interpret this or what to do. It is always appropriate for a young professional woman (or man for that matter) to shake hands. Often men, especially those of an older generation, are confused by the changes in the corporate culture that they have witnessed during their careers. This man may not be sure he still knows what is appropriate. He may wish to avoid giving offense or he may have concerns about sexual harassment.

“The essence of etiquette is to put others at ease” so I advised her, “You make the first move. Extend your hand because you are a professional and you know it is the right thing to do. He will probably shake your hand graciously in response.”

As soon as I finished this response a senior executive in his mid 50s spoke up to say he appreciated having all of this clarified. He said he was just not sure what the appropriate protocol was because so many things including laws have changed. In his position he wants and needs to make the right choices regarding professionalism.

BC: How do you recommend handshakes be done?

MS: Handshake must be firm; if the hand you are offered is not firm push your hand in further and lock thumbs to create a firm grip. Avoid “vice” grips or overly firm handshakes. These as well as a handshake that covers the top of the hand may be an attempt to dominate. Gentlemen, do not grab fingertips, grasp the entire hand. Ladies, return a handshake firmly rather than offering a limp one.

Handshakes have other uses as well. For instance, someone is walking toward you. You have no clue about the name but remember the face. Just extend your hand, say your own name, and wait expectantly, basically reintroducing yourself. (“Hello, Mary Starvaggi…” with outstretched hand.) Yes, they might think you can’t recall their name but it is a graceful way out of an awkward situation and usually they state their name in return.

Talking about handshakes always brings up the subject of hugs. Handshakes work better than hugs in professional situations, even with close friends. A hug is for personal relationships or strong connections. If you see a hug approaching and want to deflect it extend your hand for a handshake. A warm greeting is still possible without hugging.

BC: Any closing words of advice?

MS: A firm handshake does nothing but say “Confidence!” A weak or limp handshake says “I am not professionally confident” or “I have a weak self-image.” A good firm handshake is appropriate for both men and women in every business and social situation. It is also one of the three main parts of an introduction as well as vital in creating a positive first impression.

BC: Thank you for this excellent advice. Where can people reach you with questions?

MS: Questions are always welcome. Write to me at mlstarvaggi@fuse.net.

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Tags: business, consultant, etiquette, handshake, Mary Starvaggi
Posted in Business Etiquette, General, Mary Starvaggi | No Comments »

New Addiction for a Networking Junkie

Posted by Barbara Jones on February 4, 2008 – 3:43 pm -

Lorraine Ball As a confirmed networking junkie, I am always looking for my next fix. This month my new fix is LinkedIn. An

on-line social network, Linkedin is often described as FaceBook for professionals.With an emphasis on career history, educational background and association membership, Linkedin has millions of members, with thousands more joining each day.How does it work? Once you register (basic membership is free) you can invite people to Linkin (connect to you through the online tool). You can search the Linkedin data base for people you know or upload your email address book. Either way, anyone who accepts your invitation is considered a Level 1 connection.People in their contact circles are considered your Level 2 connections. This is where the real power of LinkedIn comes in. While you may have only 100 people in your circle, if each one of them knows 100 different people, you are only two steps away from 10,000 business professionals. To expand your reach, expand your connections. The more people to whom you connect directly, the larger your total circle grows.These same

connections exist in the off line world. Your friends know people you want to meet, and sooner or later they may get around to introducing you. With Linkedin you can accelerate the process by requesting invitations. You can search by skills, type of company, jobs held, geographic regions, and common interests. If you find someone who fits your search criteria, LinkedIn will tell you how you are connected, who you know in common, and you can request an invitation.

LinkedIn actually tracks connections 3 steps away. So assuming the 10,000 people in your tier 2 circles also know 100 people each, your outer circle can easily be upwards of 1 million people. Although the connections are not as tight in this outer circle, using LinkedIn you can find someone, who knows someone, who knows the person you want to meet.

I am on LinkedIn - Now What? Here are just a few of the ways you can use LinkedIn

• LinkedIN as a job hunting tool - If you are looking for a job try searching the LinkedIn data base. Heavily used by recruiters and hiring managers, many jobs are listed exclusively on LinkedIN. Not only will you see the job, but a list of people in your circle who can make a connection to the hiring manger.
• LinkedIn as a hiring tool - While not free, listing job openings on LinkedIn will produce responses from candidates who come complete with referrals, reducing some of the uncertainty of the hiring experience.
• Eliminate cold calls with LinkedIn - Having trouble getting in front of the hard to reach CEO or purchasing manager. Look for them on LinkedIn and see who you know in common. Then ask for an introduction.
• Expand your visibility and contacts by asking and answering questions. You can connect directly or indirectly with your circles by asking a question. For example, recently I sent a request to my contacts for a list of business professionals in Ft. Wayne. This one questions generated more than 40 contacts in that community. It might have taken months to reach out to connect with that many professionals using traditional mediums.
• Check your homepage for questions posed to your circles and answer a few from time to time. Always include a link to your website or blog. These postings are a great way to build traffic to your core site, or simply improve your standing in search engine rankings.

LinkedIN will never replace the face-to-face interaction, but it can give your traditional networking an extra buzz.

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Tags: etiquette, Networking, online, social network
Posted in Lorraine Ball, Networking | No Comments »