Employment Behavior and Etiquette | How to Start/Run a Successful Commercial RealEstate/Construction Business

Employment Behavior and Etiquette

It is important to have proper etiquette guidelines for yourself and your staff. This could mean the difference between keeping and losing a good contract. You have to respect the business practices of the business world if you want to be successful. Fancy vocabulary and accents are not needed; just eliminate street slang and profanity from your speech, as well as from the speech of your employees, during business hours, and you’ll be on the right track. This will show that you have a high regard and respect for the person or persons you are doing business with. When I go to a meeting, I make sure that I check the following:

1. My hygiene is perfect.

2. I am well groomed, shirt and tie as much as possible on the first few meetings with a new client or potential customer. Again, this is another way of showing your respect for this person’s time and consideration.
3. I am dressed in professional business attire that is clean and pressed. While it’s not always necessary when starting out for you and your employees to have matching uniforms with your logo or name on the front, it may be helpful if you can do this. If you can afford uniforms in the beginning, by all means buy them, because looking professional will remind, you and your crew to look and act more professionally, while representing your company in this uniforms.

4. I speak well and listen attentively, with the customer’s interests in mind.
5. I do not show off or appear to be someone or something that I am not, but I do put my best foot forward.
6. I show the customer that I am appreciative of his or her business time. In return, I am given the same respect. Sometimes, this alone will win a new contract, or I may just make a new business friend.

The most important thing I can do is always to be on time. This means I plan to be ten minutes early and never late; being late is not respectful of the other person’s time. If your appointment is at nine a.m., and you walk up to the receptionist at nine a.m., you are late. The receptionist needs time to finish what he or she was doing before it is possible to tell your nine o’clock appointment that you are in the meeting waiting room. This may take five to ten minute’s sometimes. Being on time shows that you are sensitive to the customer’s busy schedule and business needs. Being late makes the person think that you will not put their needs first; this is not the impression you want to give. Remember that the person meeting with you may be a future client, and you alone will form that person’s first and lasting impression of your company. When you are bidding, again, present yourself and your business well.

To sum up, some of your etiquette requirements should be good hygiene, proper language, punctuality, respectfulness, and a decent, clean business appearance at all times. Maintaining good etiquette and a businesslike appearance can not only help with new contracts, but also with contract renewals. Experiment and do your own research to find out exactly what works for you, your business, and staff.

When your business begins to grow, you may find that you do not have enough employees at a given time to take care of the number of jobs coming in. If your employees are already busy and you have plenty of work coming your way, you may want to consider using subcontractors. To find potential subcontractors, interview them, and then keep them in mind when projects come up. It is always good to have a list of reliable subcontractors to whom you can turn when your business is booming so you do not have to turn away a (new or old) client.