However, how you dress as a business professional will greatly depend on what business you’re in. If your business involves leading bicycle tours, then obviously spandex is a fine choice. If you’re a health care professional, you’ll be wearing a uniform. The general dress watchword for professionals is conservative. Want to be taken seriously? Dress seriously. Save the trendy pieces for off-duty times. Be sensible. Is it a good idea to be wearing those 4-inch heels when you have four properties to show that day? Pay attention to your accessories. Don’t overdo the jewelry. Professional and tacky do not go together. If you need to carry a handbag, a portfolio, or a briefcase, it should be current and in good repair. Shoes should be conservative, appropriate to your profession, in good repair, and polished if necessary. Show up ready to go to work. Inside you may feel tired, droopy, and panting for another caffeine hit, but you cannot be dragging yourself around or begging for cups of coffee on a client site. No matter how you feel, you have to present yourself as enthusiastic to go right to work—and do it. Bring all your supplies/equipment with you. Showing up without the equipment you need to do the job is unprofessional. Act business-like at all times. You wouldn’t walk into a client’s house, throw yourself onto their sofa, and put your feet up on their coffee table, would you? Well, there are lots of other behaviors that you need to avoid too: smoking, eating and drinking, hugging anyone, or anything else that is not directly related to the job. If someone offers you a cup of coffee or a glass of water, that’s OK, but don’t solicit the offer. All times means everywhere. You need to act professionally outside client sites and in your office too. Rude or obnoxious behaviors will be noted by anyone who witnesses them and, if they don’t cost you your current client, may cost you a client down the road. So don’t be rude to that person who just stole your parking space; they might be someone you want to do business with. Learn how to chit-chat. On the other hand, you don’t want to come off as super serious and nothing but. Especially when you are meeting a client for the first time, a little general chit-chat can go a long way toward making you look human and your client comfortable. Have your paperwork in good order. If you’re using a tablet, smartphone or laptop, that’s great, but whatever you show the client still needs to be organized, neat, and understandable, whether it’s a project plan or an invoice. Always double-check your numbers. A client who spots an error is a client you’ve probably lost. Say thank you. Always thank a client for her time at the end of a meeting, and if they do business with you, say thank you for that, too. A handwritten note is a great way to do this. And don’t forget to ask for a referral or testimonial if things went well. Listen to your clients and customers actively. Use behaviors such as mirroring and rephrasing to let them know that you hear them. Practice active listening. Eliminate habits that interfere with communication. Don’t eat or chew gum when meeting with a client. If you’re meeting in an office, don’t play background music; it can make it very difficult for some people to hear what you’re saying, even when played at a low level. Learn how to give a firm handshake. As a professional, you’ll be expected to do it many many times, and you’ll also be judged many times on what yours is like. It’s worth the time to learn how to get it right. Turn off your phone in social venues where ringing would disturb others, such as performances, movies, concert recitals, etc. In other situations, such as restaurants, setting your phone to vibrate is a good option. It does not make you look professional to be sitting in a restaurant with others and talking incessantly on your phone; it makes you look obnoxious. If you do receive an important phone call that you must take while in a social venue, excuse yourself and take the call outside or somewhere inside such as a foyer. The people around you who don’t have to listen to you talking into your phone will appreciate it. Do not discuss the call when you return. Simply say something such as, “Now, where were we?” and carry on. For one thing, no matter how important the call was to you, chances are extremely high they won’t care. Do not ignore phone calls. Business calls should be answered by the next day at the latest. Can’t manage it? Then it’s time to invest in some additional phone services or hire a receptionist or answering service. If you use voicemail phone services, check it regularly. It is frustrating for customers when they keep getting the “mailbox full” message when they’re calling you. Design a professional signature using your email program and then use it on all your business-related email. Use business-like salutations and complimentary closes. Start a professional email with the person’s name alone or with “Hello." “All the best," “Cheers," and “Sincerely” all are good choices for closes. Use full English sentences and words in the body of your professional email. Think of email much as you would a professional letter, and always proofread and spellcheck your email before you send it. Errors make you look unprofessional. Turn off your email program’s ping or beep alert and check email at set times during the day. You have a lot of important things to do each day and the more often you drop everything to read the latest email that’s come in, the fewer of them you’ll get done. Don’t post anything on any of your social media pages that you don’t want to have follow you around the rest of your life. Increasing numbers of businesses and government agencies are data-mining social media—including some that might have become future employers or customers of yours if only you hadn’t made that stupid post back then. The same applies to your comments on other people’s posts and websites. Choose which opinions you “like” or share carefully, keeping in mind that some of your opinions may alienate potential clients. Keep your posts on your business profiles professional. If in doubt, don’t post. Choose one or two platforms, post regularly, and be responsive. Answer people’s questions and respond to their comments, even if it’s just with a “like."
