21 Business Etiquette Rules You Should Never Break | Toggl Track

1. Pay attention to names

Names are one of the first pieces of information that we learn about someone. It is how people recognize and address you.

When you tell others your name, include your last name. This is especially important if you have a common first name like Ashley or John.

When you first meet someone, pay attention to their name. If you aren’t sure how to pronounce it, be sincere and ask. If it is an unusual or difficult to pronounce name, the person is probably used to it and won’t mind. It shows that you have taken an interest in them and care about getting it right. Don’t carelessly butcher their name or invent a nickname. Call people what they want to be called.

Remembering names can be challenging, especially if you meet multiple people at one time. One trick that you can use is to identify a characteristic that helps you differentiate them. Another is to repeat their name and try to use it in your conversation 3 to 4 times, but not so frequently that it is obvious.

2. Greet everyone

Greeting the people that you come in contact with isn’t only polite but it establishes rapport. You never know who the people that you greeted could be, so it is important to greet everyone with the same degree of kindness.

A simple “Hi, how are you?” or even a smile and nod is enough. However, adding more could make them remember you and view you as friendly and pleasant. It can also strike up conversation. Be considerate though. If they appear to be in a rush or not interested at the moment, don’t force a conversation on them.

Some ways to strike up a conversation could be to:

• Compliment something that they are wearing and ask where they found it.
• Remark on your surroundings. This can be anything ranging from the weather to a book they are holding or the office space.

The key is to ask open-ended questions that will require more than a “yes” or “no” and move the conversation along.

3. Offer a handshake and make eye contact

Handshakes are the universal business greeting. A firm handshake is still considered a positive trait. A weak one is negative.

Usually, the higher ranking person will offer their hand first, but if they don’t, you can still offer yours. Make eye contact when you shake their hand and smile. Those who avert their eyes are viewed as lacking confidence and honesty.

4. Give cues that show you’re paying attention

When someone else is speaking, it is important to nod or smile. This shows that you are engaged and actively listening. It tells them that you care about what they say and value their thoughts.

Be careful not to interrupt. If you wish to speak, you may send a nonverbal signal by opening your mouth, but it is polite to wait for them to finish.

5. Introduce others

No one likes to awkwardly stand with a group of people who have no idea who they are and what they are doing there. It’s uncomfortable. If you strike up a conversation with someone and are with a person that they haven’t met yet, it is polite to make an introduction.

Give a little more information than just their name though. You might add the person’s role at your company and what they do. This gives others some background, but keep it brief.

6. Send customized, handwritten Thank You notes

It’s perfectly fine to send out auto-confirmation and thank you emails after customers make a purchase online. However, a thank you by email─especially if it is a large account or long-standing business relationship─is considered ingenuine and rude.

Instead, write out a thoughtful thank you and send it by snail mail. It may take a few more minutes of your time and a little change for postage, but it is more appreciated.

7. Proofread emails for grammar and typo mistakes 

If you are like most professionals, you will communicate a lot through email. Each message sent reflects on you, so you need to make sure that they are professional and well-written. You shouldn’t have typos in emails. It only takes a few seconds to proofread your emails before hitting send.

Technology can even do most of it for you. For example, you can download the Grammarly extension for free. It checks your emails for mistakes and offers suggestions to correct mistakes.

8. Be polite and professional in all forms of communication 

It doesn’t matter if you are meeting face-to-face, by phone or through email, each interaction needs to be professional.

When you communicate through text only, you don’t have the tone of voice, facial expressions and other nonverbal cues that accompany it. Remember this when writing emails. Keep messages short and to the point, but don’t send anything that you wouldn’t say in-person.

9. Always be on time

Whether it is arriving to work or a meeting or making a deadline, punctuality is critical. Time is precious.

When you miss a deadline, the whole team is affected and may have to cover for you. Teams rely on everyone to do their part. It is easy to underestimate how much time you’ll need to complete a project if you don’t regularly track your work. Know how much time it takes you to complete tasks by using a time tracking app like Toggl Track.

When you are late, you are being disrespectful and inconsiderate of another person’s time and commitments. Don’t be late.

If you are running behind schedule, contact them as soon as you realize that you won’t make it on time. Don’t show up too early either. Arriving between 5 to 10 minutes before your appointment is ideal.