P is for.....

people.

No matter what you do in business, I can guarantee that you will not be able to do it without other people. Whether it be the support of family, outside companies to help your business grow, or customers. All of these people are important to you and its important to treat these people the way you would want to be treated.  You may think that this is a very simple post but treating people correctly, will have a massive effect on your business, likewise treating people badly when in business, will also have an effect on your business, and not for the better.

I recently had first hand experience of this.  I had booked to use a local facility for two business related events. The first event was great business for the company and they jumped at the chance to work with us. As a result of getting this great response from them, I booked another event for something different but still work related.  They were once again as helpful and attentive as they could be, and so I spoke to them about using their facility for a new venture I am launching in the spring.  I was told that the lady behind the desk could not make the decision and that the sales manager would get in touch within 24 hours. 

The sales manager did in fact call be back within 12 but did not handle my request with a level of professionalism I had come to expect. Instead of telling me that they could not take my regular booking as they would want to keep themselves open for bigger better bookings, they should have said that they were more than happy to take my booking but would it be possible for me to book monthly rather than book up the rest of 2011 with them.  As I was made to feel that my business was not as worthwhile as bigger orders, I felt a slight distaste for working with them, and now as a result I am looking at other options.

I am more than happy to be honest in my work, in fact I demand honesty, but how you deliver that honesty is vital to your working relationships.  So think about how you speak to people and be honest in your working relationships but do consider the other persons feelings at the same time.