The Conscious Entrepreneur – Etiquette 101
Are you a conscious entrepreneur? Have you mastered the intuitive skills necessary to navigate the subtle, yet profound impact you can have on a potential client or business associate?
Learn the art of consciously sailing the waters of integrity, honesty, and mindfulness through conscious ethical practices right off the dock. First impressions are lasting impressions and difficult to change once a negative thought is planted. It will attach itself to you like octopus tentacles on steroids. Use you intuition as your guide to pay attention, open your heart, and sense what messages you are expressing through body language and behaviours. Be conscious of how you present.
A perfectly innocent business connection can turn sour quickly if you are not in tune with the highest vibrational energy of honesty, integrity, and good business conduct. Some people will leave enough rope, in my dad’s words, to dock the Queen Mary. If you practice deception on a regular basis, your reputation will precede you with the unwanted speed of a marlin on the run.
It is imperative to learn these skills (yes, intuition can be learned – it is not reserved for a select few), to enhance your presence by creating positive and lasting impressions. Put the ego aside and learn from the master – your intuition.
DO’S AND DON’TS
Navigate the waters of engagement mindfully and with integrity in business interactions.
Don’t – When you are using another persons' idea, theory, or quote (paraphrased or verbatim), it is not cool to post it as your own with no citation or reference to its origins. It reflects poorly on you when you don’t and people in the know will know.
Do - make a point of citing the name, or source, of information. This gesture sends a positive message that you have done your research, you are happy to share the inspiration of others, and you are a person who can be trusted to give credit where it is due. Sharing the light is intuitive truth that reflects on you. I love doing business with people who share. It’s perfectly okay to quote brilliant ideas. Make sure you acknowledge them. You will be recognized for your integrity.
Don’t – Please, please please, do not add a client/friend/business contact to your group without his or her consent. It takes away the right of the individual to decide if and when they wish to opt in. I am very capable of deciding which social media I want to be part of.
Do– Ask and invite people to join and/or like your social media pages, webpage, groups etc. It creates empowerment for you and them with the crucial element of choice. You create a positive vibrational energy that adds value to what you offer with quality over quantity for you and your clients. Give your contemporaries the courtesy and respect to make their own decisions about whether or not they wish to be included in your exclusive group. I love being asked. It feels powerful. Isn’t that what you want for you clients – to feel empowered?
Don’t – add potential client/friend/business cohorts to your email list without their consent. Again, it shows a level of respect, integrity and trust by allowing the freedom of choice. A long list of disgruntled, moderately ticked people having to search out the unsubscribe button is an exercise in futility. Just don’t do it. There are other ways to have a presence.
Do – Invite potential clients to sign up by offering incentives, expertise, and a willingness to engage in a meaningful way in exchange for the email contact. Remember, your clients’ time is as precious as yours, and it is a privilege for you to have their name added to your list. Give them something to talk about that will leave lasting positive impressions with consent. They will share and you will have struck gold. If they don’t want what you are selling, you are wasting your time and theirs. When a client/potential client buys in, you have made a powerful connection indeed.
Don’t – offer a “prize” at an event or on line only to have the Prize Winner discover that it isn’t really a prize at all but rather, a veiled backdoor way to lure you in for a pitch. Secondly, make sure that the “Prize” doesn’t show up on social media and is offered to EVERYONE. Grrrrr. I “won” a prize at an event and two weeks later I saw it offered on line to anyone who wanted the free service. That’s not a prize, it is not special and I didn’t “win” anything. It was a ruse. This smacks of deception. Also, do not tell someone they have won $500 and then show up with a product or service that you have slapped a $500 value tag on.
Do – offer specials, sales, and prizes with honesty and integrity. A prize is special and unique and stands alone separate from anything posted on your social media. Create a feeling of specialness for your client that leaves a lasting impression with the simplest gesture of giving from the heart. When you offer a “prize” make sure it is just that – a real prize that makes the person feel unique – it’s just for them.
“People will forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”
~ Maya Angelou
Don’t - tell someone you two have met and had a conversation when you have not! I received an email from a woman I have seen at a few lunches but never met, saying she and I connected and that we discussed getting together. She belongs to a few groups so this is how it went down. The group she mentioned, I have never been a part of, and we have never spoken. In fact, she hasn’t given me the time of day, but she did manage to scoop my business card to “follow up”. This is not a conscious entrepreneur. There is a lack of integrity in pretending that we met. This tactic will bite you in the butt. Did she think I would forget? When you meet a potential client make a point of learning their name. If you take a business card, introduce yourself. Look into their eyes and see them. Ask a question and show you are truly interested. Write what you have learned on their business card so you won’t make that faux pas.
Do – make a point of introducing yourself to newcomers or someone you have never met before in a group where you are solidly established. Reach out a hand and invite inclusion. Maybe even introduce them to someone you know well and trust. Do make a point of listening and asking questions about their business and personal interests. Invite conversation with mindfulness. What does your intuition tell you? Be mindful of what gets their mojo rising and piques curiosity. Be involved and be engaged. Make a positive connection that is mutual, meaningful and memorable. It’s okay to not like everybody. Just don’t pretend. When you meet someone, engage to know him or her rather than be known. Get the information right.
The bottom line of any mindfully interpersonal communication is to make your entrance with sincerity, honesty and integrity. If you lack any of these qualities, you will be found out quickly. The light at the end of the tunnel will be an oncoming gossip train that will mow you down with the speed at which you have compromised their values.
Following these simple practices will put you solidly at the front of the herd. Treat each individual as a whole person with wants, needs, and desires that are as dear to you as your own. Practice with integrity and use your intuition to hone skills that will propel you forward to resounding success and be the bright shining entrepreneur you were meant to be.
Peace and Blessings to you.
Namaste
© Susan Lee Woodward - This article in its entirety is protected by Canadian and International copyright laws. Reproduction of this written content without written permission of the author is prohibited.