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To Grow Your Business, Befriend Your Customers

client relationship management, Grow your business

Where Have All Your Best Customers Gone?

How to Leverage Your Customers For New Business.

 
PART ONE
 
I have been thinking a lot lately about a conversation that I have had hundreds of times the past four years with business owners, ever since I launched my business consulting firm to help business owners, start-ups, and entrepreneurs achieve sales success. The conversation goes something like this:
 
My Customer: “I need your help finding new customers.”
 
Me: “Why”
 
My Customer: Stares at me like I have 3 heads. “What do you mean…’why?’ I need to acquire new business in order to keep my business running, so I need new clients.”
 
Me: “I understand. But what about your current customers?”
 
My Customer: Now stares at me like I have 4 heads. “What do you mean? Why would I focus on my customers? They already know what products I make and services offer. I need MORE customers to grow my business”
 
Me: Grab my head with both hands as I scream “OYE!”
 
This MAY be the single biggest problem facing small business owners today. In their pursuit of new client acquisition in these demanding times, business owners lose sight of just how critical it is to deliver exceptional client relationship management to their best customers.
 
In these turbulent times, it’s critical that business owners remain in touch with their top accounts. Take your best clients to breakfast. Reassure them that you are here for them, and will continue to do so and support them when they need you. Why not accompany them on their sales calls, to see first hand the challenges they face in selling to their own customers?
 
Learn your best customer’s pain points, so you can deliver exceptional solutions to the problems that keep them up at night. Have you created a detailed profile of your absolute most valuable customer? Can define and describe your best customers in complete detail? If yes, great! If no…well, how are you going to find other (new) customers that are JUST LIKE THEM? Do you have a strategic networking plan that lists all of the key events, trade shows, and conferences that your best customers attend? No? You should. How else will you know where your best customers are going to be, so you can coordinate strategic efforts to meet with them?
 
Your existing customers deliver 85% OF YOUR BUSINESS to you! Most small businesses obtain 50% of their new business from their existing customers. That’s half your business coming from existing customers. On top of that, 35% of your NEW customers are referred to you by your existing clients. That means…85% of ALL small business sales comes from their existing customers. According to Inc. it is 5-10 times LESS expensive to serve existing clients than it is to obtain new customers. On top of that, existing customers buy 67% more on your products and services than new customers do. So if you want to grow your business, you MUST re-focus your sales efforts on serving your BEST customers first, then on new client acquisition efforts.
 
Reward Your Customers Like Loyalty
 
Reward your best customers. Offer them truly meaningful loyalty programs that they care enough about to participate in. Do you provide your best customers with specific discounts, honor ANY of their returns, wipe out their existing balances on small amounts when they keep buying from you? Do you provide them with coupons they value? Do you deliver them promotional offers that only they are eligible for? Do you have a rewards program that serve up rewards based on their specific interests, and the things they value? Or, do you take a “one-reward-for-all” approach that means little to MOST of your clients?
 
Of the $48 billion worth of perceived value in reward points and miles distributed by American businesses annually, 33% goes unredeemed by consumers. 1/3 of ALL reward points for ALL businesses goes unclaimed!!! Companies lose significant money on wasted time and effort, and customers get NO REAL VALUE from the businesses to which they are most “loyal.”
 
Only 20% Of Your Customers REALLY Matter. A Dirty Truth.
 
Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian economist and sociologist who developed a mathematical formula in 1906 (today its known as the “80/20 rule”) to explain the extremely uneven income distribution in Switzerland. He found that most for the wealth in the country was consolidated within a very small percent of the population (sound familiar, my fellow Americans?)
 
In the 1940s Dr. Joseph Juran (an American) took Pareto’s work further by researching many different industries and companies of all sizes. He found that in every aspect of business & industry, in any set of data a relatively small percent of the entire data sample (Juron proved that amount at 20%) are statistically significant (vital) and 80% of any data set are relatively trivial. Juron found that this was true in all instances.
 
The beauty of Juron’s work was, it could be applied equally to any endeavor. What does this mean for small business owners looking to maximize their existing customers, you ask?
 
* 20% of Your clients generate 80% of your entire business.
* One in five of ALL your clients place 80% of all your company’s orders.
* 20% of Your customers purchase 80% of Your stuff!
 
The key challenge to any business owner looking to increase their new business is: Who are the top 20% of your very BEST customers, and…
 
WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING TO MAKE THESE FOLKS AS HAPPY AS POSSIBLE???
 
In my next issue, I’ll tell you how you can find your top 20% and do everything in your power to keep them buying from you.

Embrace Chaos and the Unfamiliar for Business Startup Success

business success, Business Training, Grow your business

Embrace These Chaotic Times to Be Successful.

These Transformational Times Are Ideal to Start a Business.

 
Humans are creatures of habit. We search for and embrace the familiar. It is critical that we derive meaning and order from our lives. In fact, we go out of our way to pursue the familiar. It’s why we stay in the same job for years, despite being unfulfilled professionally. It’s why so many people work in the same industry…out of fear of starting a new career in our middle years. Ever notice how you follow the same route to go to work and come home EVERY day? We eat the same type of food, and see the same types of movies. We are “creatures of habit.” But why?
 
The human species has evolved and adapted to extreme environmental duress, because we possess the ability to adapt successfully. Adapting to chaos and upheaval is embedded into our DNA. Humans MUST adapt in order to propagate the species. In the revolutionary book on how great companies fail: “The Innovator’s Dilemma“, innovation expert Clayton Christensen writes that even outstanding companies that do everything right can still lose market leadership or disappear completely. Focusing on “disruptive technology,” Christensen shows why most companies miss out on new waves of innovation.
 
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin.
 
Nature demands that we change. Nature gravitates towards perpetual disorder. In science the term for a gradual decline into disorder is called “entropy.” So, why are we so resistant to change and why do we work so hard to avoid the unfamiliar, when finding new approaches is what ensures our survival?
 
What can you do if you are a business owner or business start-up and your organization is “stuck?” Are you too big to be a small business, but too small to be a big business? Then you are caught in the cross-hairs of change and how well you do (OR DON’T) adapt to change will impact whether you stay in business or not. Not all businesses go through successful transformations. Great article summarizes research by the Business Transformation Academy on why some companies do achieve amazing business transformation (think IBM from computers to consulting) and some don’t (Borders bookstore, circuit City, etc.)
 
The reality is, we are MOST successful when we embrace chaos and pursue change. Darwin got it right with his “survival of the fittest.” We humans live with one foot firmly planted in two separate two worlds. While we demand order in our lives, order is impossible to sustain. We thrive when we embrace change regardless of how painful it is to navigate through those turbulent waters. It is in our best interest that we aggressively pursue the unfamiliar. Humans are a direct result/product of the ability to evolve and adapt. Ever get really frustrated that things are done a foolishly outdated way at your work? when you ask why things are done a certain way do you cringe when someone replies: “That’s how it’s always been done around here.” Are you afraid of change? you can find tips on coping with change from noted motivational speaker Mike Robbins.
 
From chaos comes great opportunity for business start-up success, but only if we approach it as such. It does no good to run and hide from change as a potential threat to our existence. There are no guarantees in today’s global contract workplace. Organizations with hundreds of thousands of employees and offices in dozens of countries deemed too big to fail have done just that.
 
What does the future hold in store for us as we humans adapt? Who knows! But if we charge bravely into the unknown we are guaranteed to hit gold. By tackling the unfamiliar we are close to unraveling the mysteries of the human gene sequencing project. We have achieved tremendous advancements in technology such as artificial intelligence, supercomputers, robotics, fiber optics, splitting the atom, etc. Mankind has conquered space and the human brain. What if we were willing to boldly go where no man has ever gone before? We Americans should be undertaking ridiculously challenging projects to set our nation back on course.
 
Don’t listen to the Naysayers who tell you something can’t be done! Don’t buy into now NOT being the ideal time to start a business or pursue a new business venture. Don’t follow the herd like lemmings over a cliff. Run from the conventional wisdom. Be different! Take risks and dare to fail greatly.
 
Don’t ever believe you can’t change the world.

 
Be visionary. Be GREAT!
 

11 Ways to Start a Business Successfully

business success, Start a business

Ten Strategies to Launch a Successful Business.

“How to start a successful business venture in transformational times.”

 
1. Identify Where Your Passions & Skills Collide: Find the intersection between the things that you are most passionate about and those things you have the most expertise in. The things that you are most passionate about and best at should be the kinds of ideas you pursue a business venture around. Pursuing these things will maximize your ability to start a business successfully.
 

 
2. Create a Great Culture From Day One: All of the highest performing organizations share a commitment to developing world-class organizational cultures for competitive advantage. Their employees are empowered to take risks and get rewarded for achieving outstanding results. Employees are trusted to find creative solutions by applying a wide range of unique problem-solving skills. Their leaders make a concerted effort to obtain consensus from their employees to embrace the organization’s mission and objectives.
 
These organizations are extremely active and engaged in many good will initiatives and were practicing corporate social responsibility long before it became a fad and PR tool for others. People are coached, mentored, and receive continuous training and professional development. They are encouraged to work in teams, are tasked to work in different departments to gain maximum exposure and deliver maximum value to their company by using all of their core competencies on the job EVERY day. Employees conduct reviews of senior management, and communication flows in all directions within the organization. Partners vendors, suppliers, the media and YES..customers are constantly communicated with. People are encouraged to always ask “WHY” and “WHAT IF?”
 

 
3. Be Ethical For Competitive Advantage: Possess a moral compass that guides you through all of your strategic business decision-making. Research shows that the most ethical organizations are the most profitable. This has something to do with the fact that employees will follow you passionately, vendors, suppliers, and service providers will knock down your door to partner with you, and your customers will remain loyal to you and support your business through even the most demanding economic times.
The Ethisphere Institute of New York City has conducted significant research into the subject of organizations that possess a strong moral compass. They studied companies from 100 countries in 36 industries. They found that companies that exhibit the most ethical behavior have the highest employee morale, the most satisfied customers. Check out the list of 2011’s winners.
 
4. Lead, Don’t Manage: The word management which is derived from the Old French word ménagement means the art of conducting and directing. In Latin the words “manu agere” literally translate to “lead by the hand.” Management is characterized by leading and directing people. Management entails deploying and manipulating people as if they were no more than resources. Leadership on the other hand, leaders possess a VISION, build consensus, and guide / inspire others. Leaders have the unique ability to get people to follow them willingly and act with the highest behavior first then demonstrate exceptional skills to generate “buy in.”
 
According to John Maxwell: “Leaders know the way, show the way, and go the way.” Leadership is about setting a course of action and having people willingly follow you to achieve tremendous performance results as your company launches.
 
5. Create a Marketing WOW factor: Don’t tell your prospects what you do, or how you do it. That is NOT compelling and does not connect emotionally with people. All the best marketing organizations explain WHY their organization does what it does. It is absolutely critical that companies make emotional connections with your audience.
 

 
For a great description of this check out this presentation by Simon Sinek.
 
6. Plan, Plan, PLAN: In today’s hyper-fast paced business environment it is STILL critically important that you conduct planning prior to launching a business. You will need to analyze the market you are considering entering. Sure, you still need to write a business plan. You will have to follow all the trends and developments that affect your industry. Be sure to subscribe to all the relevant industry newsletters. Follow all of the most influential industry bloggers, join the trade associations that serve your industry, interview people in your industry, and find a coach/mentor with experience starting a successful business who is willing to take you under her/his wing.
 
7. Define Your Unique Selling Proposition: What do you offer that no one else does? What is it that you promise to deliver that is truly unique, memorable, and invaluable? When you pursue a business venture that truly does merge your passions and things you’re best at, it should be easy to define your USP. This is the messaging that you MUST include in the Executive Summary of your business plan.
 
8. Your Employees Matter Most: treat your employees like your customers and your customers like your employees. I was speaking with a friend who is a consultant who helps organizations to grow their business into new markets all over the world. I was telling him that in my experience most business owners treat their employees like assets that have to be managed. These managers consider their employees to be little more than a cost to be controlled. I said that these myopic managers use up their employees by depleting their energy then discard them through massive layoffs. He thought about it for a minute and said “Like photocopiers.” I said “What?”
 
So he explained that the worst business owners consider their employees to be human photocopiers. you do what you have to, in order to keep them running. you get as much productivity out of them as you can until they stop running then you discard them.
 
9. Take Great Risks and Fail Brilliantly: I am not sure when we became such a risk averse culture. Perhaps this is due to the lawsuit happy culture we are. Poorly run companies seem pathologically unwilling to change. They see threats where opportunities abound, they remain entrenched in their existing way of doing business (picture quick sand) without willing to consider different courses of action. World-class organizations and visionary business leaders know that if you stand still you get run over in these transformational times.
 
10. Good Is the Enemy of Great: Jim Collins wrote a book entitled: “Good to Great. Why Some Companies Make The Leap…and Others Don’t.” that really does a good job of documenting how great organizations simply do NOT tolerate GOOD ENOUGH. When you settle on getting by, you create a culture that in effect rewards mediocrity and the status quo. It’s really a mindset that you will NOT tolerate average performance.
 
11. Seek Funding While You Plan: Angel investors and venture capitalists will tell any entrepreneur that they should be seeking out funding sources even as you plan the initial stages of your new business start-up.

 
Here’s to your continued small business success.

Start a Business Successfully Demands Unconventional Wisdom

business success, Grow your business, Start a business

Starting a Business Successfully Demands Unconventional Wisdom.

“Visionary Business Leaders HATE Conventional Wisdom.”

 
To plan, launch and grow a successful business requires visionary start-ups and entrepreneurs to think and act counter-intuitively, by avoiding the old ways of approaching business start-ups, and bucking the conventional wisdom propagated by supposed experts.
 
As a business coach, I’m always asked by people looking to start their own business: “what rules should I follow” and “which experts should I talk to” or even “what are the Dos and Don’ts to starting a successful business.”
 
The one truism to starting a successful business in these transformational times that I can share with aspiring business start-ups and entrepreneurs is, throw all the conventional thinking
and old ways of doing things right out the window.
 
We live in transformational times. The 21st Century has ushered in an unparalleled amount of global competition, wild swings in geographic region for the cheapest sources of labor, mind-blowing technological advances (just look at what your smart phone can do) and international competition that creates 24x7x365 competition and business activity.
 
In the old days, the conventional approach was to find something you were expert at and pursue a business venture in that field. Due to the tremendous competition and pressure associated with launching a successful business that approach is no longer valid.
 

Today, you have to find the overlap between the things that you do really well and are technically adept at AND things that you are also extremely passionate about. It’s not enough to possess passion but not expertise. Conversely, no matter how proficient you are in a discipline or experienced in a given industry if you lack passion then you will ultimately fail. What do you do/have you done that you can safely claim you are expert in and passion about?
 
Conventional wisdom says planning a business requires developing a 100-page business plan that factors in all potential variables and forces and factors that will impact your success rate in starting a business. Unconventional wisdom says there is simply no way that you can plan for every contingency given the rate and degree of transformational change. In the past 4 years we’ve seen entire industries uprooted and businesses with 100,000 employees deemed “TOO BIG TO FAIL” fail! It used to be you HAD to pursue traditional (large bank) investors. Now the big banks won’t touch you and there is a sea of investors who can help you fund a start up plus non-traditional funding sources. In today’s transformational times you should be talking to investors FIRST. Ask what information they want, and how they prefer business owners to pitch them on new business to invest in. They’ll say a 1-page executive plan, 10 slide Powerpoint and spreadsheet showing operational costs (how many clients, revenues, commercial pricing, and other costs to launch and operate your business.
 
Conventional wisdom says thoroughly research your business idea, speak with numerous stakeholders,conduct extensive market research and complete a comprehensive business plan that addresses numerous contingencies and various foreseen changes. While today’s business climate still demands you conduct the required research, you should test the perceived demand for your products or services by giving people who resemble your ideal customer the chance to test your product/service and see if their demand matches what your own expectations are.
 
The converse also holds true. Most business owners apply failed logic of conventional wisdom to jump right into the “DO”ing part of the business. They build a website, speak to suppliers, look for investors and partners before they have done any personal assessment to see if they are even suited to start a business.
 
They don’t conduct a personal assessment to determine their strengths and skill sets, nor do they truly understand their areas for improvement or skills they may be lacking. Any new business owner MUST ask herself: “What do I have to offer that is truly unique?” What makes you uniquely qualified to start this business? By answering correctly you will have defined your very own unique selling proposition that you can use as your business start-up personal brand. Your personal brand represents your new business start-up brand. A brand is a promise that you will deliver something unique, invaluable and memorable. Is that what you and your business have to offer?
 
The average life of a Fortune 500 firm is 50 years…just 50 years! We are talking the largest multinational organizations in the world, and that’s it. The average life of an established is JUST 10 years. That’s it…a decade! Businesses don’t stay around long these days, due to the transformational change in markets, fickle consumer demand, mercenary customers, technological change, and competition. A business either folds within 10 years, or it gets acquired.
 
All the organizations that exist to support small business owners in planning and launching successful businesses do NOT know what they are talking about. Despite their best intentions entrepreneur support networks like the Small Business Administration, SCORE, Economic Development Corporations, Small Business Development Centers, often do not fully understand the complexities of specific businesses nor are they acquainted with the latest technologies, dynamics of global trade, skill sets of graduates of American universities affecting human talent/start-up staffing challenges, etc.
 
The most successful business owners and entrepreneurs have a keen sense of purpose, possess TREMENDOUS energy, are never happy with the status quo. They constantly question why things are done the old way, they never accept that good is good enough, and they are always looking for a faster and more efficient way to get things done. These successful business start-ups are the kinds of people who just love to constantly ask: “WHY” and “WHAT IF?”
 
In a word, they are visionaries. They are bold enough to think they can actually change the world, and hate to embrace conventional wisdom. These entrepreneurs take
a counter-intuitive approach to solving problems. Where are they heading? They know the way, they show the way and they go the way. They like to take the path least traveled.
 
Given today’s stagnant global economy, these are just the right kind of (contrarian) people we need to lead us. We should be doing everything in our power to empower them to achieve success in their pursuit of starting their own business. That is where future jobs growth will come from.
 
Here’s to your continued business success.

Do Your Customers Know You're Talking to Them?

business communication, communication, Promote your business

Do Your Customers Know You’re Talking to Them?.

“How You Communicate With Customers Tells Them If You Care About Them.”

 
Do you have a formal policy for communicating with your clients and prospects. Do you strive consistently to get the right message to them at the right time, when they ARE most likely to hear what you have to say?
 
Do you make a concerted effort to communicate with your customers through your marketing, promotional, and communications campaigns both online and offline when your customers are most receptive to what you have to say? Have you researched how your customers (especially your raving fans) consume different types of content (media messaging) especially how they do (or don’t) respond favorably to your messages? This requires a business communications tracking campaign to monitor the results of your various messages to your external (customers, prospects, vendors, suppliers, the media) and internal (employee) audiences. Do you have a process in place right now to track all your stakeholder’s receptiveness to your messaging?
 
Stated differently, do you know what messages you send are getting through and making an impact, and the communications that you send that are missing the mark, not being received, or are getting “drowned out” by the deluge of messages we all receive daily?
 
Do you know how your favorite (most profitable) clients prefer to receive your messages? How do they feel about and respond to your stories? Do they ever get offended by your tonality? How favorably/unfavorably do they respond to your special offers, promotions, and incentives? These are the questions that you MUST be asking. Do your sales presentations have all the excitement and client engagement of watching paint dry or dust accumulate on venetian blinds? When you “pitch” a prospective client, do you go on and on in monotonous tones talking to a gazillion slides about what “YOU DO” but never focus on their challenges and how you can help them resolve the business issues that keep them up at night?
 
Do you know where they are when they get your communications? If you cannot honestly answer these questions, then all of your advertising, marketing, and communications with your customers is being effectively wasted.
 
Do you make an effort to reinforce your messaging by touching your customers in different ways? Do you combine a blend of different business communication such as personal calls, emails, your website, letters (yes, HAND-WRITTEN, person communication!), etc? Do you craft truly compelling and engaging stories based on how you can and do help your customers to solve their most immediate and a challenging business problems? Or, do you take the alternate approach of crafting generic messaging focused from your own organization’s perspective that screams: “This is what we do…now buy it!?”
 
This is an absolutely central issue that most organizations simply pass over in developing their business communication. Instead, they holler at the masses that they need to sell them your stuff. Instead, do you, your business, your organization to the time and make the significantly more challenging effort to talk about what you do that is truly unique and how you offer things that are invaluable and memorable. Do you talk bout WHY you do what you do, not how or what?
 
To learn how to REALLY speak to your customers in a compelling way, check out this Simon Sinek video about telling WHY you do what you do. People and organizations like Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright Brothers that are most successful at transforming our lives have always communicated at emotional levels that touch our hearts and inspire us. Do you?
 
Do you have a communication program in place that is designed to talk to your customers differently, depending on how valuable they are and how much business they contribute to your organization? The more valuable a customer is, the more direct, person communication should be made to them. Hand written notes and personal calls are only the beginning.
 
Do you go that extra mile to “connect” with your most profitable clients? For example, do you visit with them at their place of business, take a tour of their business, or take them out to breakfast/lunch to catch up on their challenges? Do you accompany them with sales calls to THEIR clients to see what challenges they face in selling their own firm’s products and services?
 
Do you host monthly, quarterly, or annual client breakfast roundtables, appreciations and town hall events to say “Thank you” for their support (business?) how do you share with your clients and partners all of the exciting things that you and your firm are working on, to serve them better? If you are not doing any/most of these things, then you really aren’t communicating in an effective way nor are you creating significant value so they want to keep you when times get tough.
 
If you aren’t communicating these ways, you need to understand that your competitors are doing these things. And in challenging economic times like we’ve had for the last four years, your most valuable customers will surely remember how well you did (or didn’t) make the effort to keep in touch with them.
 
Here’s to your continued business success in 2012.

The Art of Communicating Through Body Language

Body language, communication

Great Communication Starts With Body Language.

“Your body language screams out, even when you’re silent.”

 
Whether you realize it or not, you send out messages all the time and communicate with others, without even speaking! The non-verbal cues you make reflect an unspoken language…it’s called “body language.” You communicate all manner of information about yourself including how you are feeling and what you think of them. You should be aware that you are sending out these non-verbal cues cues to others constantly. People are constantly attempting to read your body language for signs. So it’s crucial that you use your cues to make a positive first impression.
 
For example, avoiding eye contact with others conveys an extreme shyness on your part and/or a lack of trust in others. It also conveys that you are attempting to hide something from them
 
Folding your arms is an extremely defensive posture (unless you’re cold.) It has the connotation of protecting yourself. The act of folding your arms across your chest alerts others that you are angry with them, you feel threatened by them, or you don’t trust them/believe what they are saying.
 

 
The act of placing your hands in your pockets and playing with change indicates you might be miserly (yeah, cheap.) Twirling your hair in your fingers absentmindedly sends a message that you lack professionalism, are not paying attention to the person speaking to you, or you get bored easily. Many body movements we make are behaviors that we have been doing so long, we may not be conscious of them. This is extremely dangerous, because the people we are engaged with are looking for these cues to get a sense of whether they can trust us, like us, work with us, or do business with us.
 
For example, making rapid and/or sudden hand gestures like pointing, gesticulating, or waving hands dismissively to the side (swatting flies) is seen as not taking others seriously or not listening to them. In can also create an aura of agitation, anger, or losing temper/control. Eye-rolling is an obvious and pronounced turn-off.
 
Repeated face touching (esp. your nose) indicates deception. It’s an especially bad bluff in poker. They call it a “tell.” Repeatedly checking your watch indicates extreme boredom and rudeness! Good posture is a sign of confidence and leaning in towards others as they speak conveys an interest in what they have to say. Conversely, leaning back/away from others as they speak has the connotation of being aloof, cold, and distant.
 
Other non-verbal gestures can be offensive when seen through the prism of differing cultures or religions. An example would be a strange man trying to shake the hand of an Orthodox Jewish woman he was not married to or in the same family. Crossing one leg over another while you were in a seated position may come across as being engrossed in casual conversation. However, the same gesture of showing the bottom of your shoe to someone can also be very offensive. Likewise, turning away from someone that is hearing impaired who reads lips is another unintended way to offend another. In fact, consider it just plain bad form (rudeness) to turn away from ANYONE hat is speaking to you.
 
When Exchanging Business Cards Leads to Offense
 
Even the simple act of exchanging business cards bears an entire set of standards of decorum . For example, in Asian ans Hispanic cultures you would never see someone write on another person’s business card, or fold their business card or put it in their pocket. Why? Your business card has your name and title on it, as well as the name of the organization you work for.
 
By treating a person’s business card with a perceived a lack of respect you are seen to be disrespecting them, their stature (as defined by the position they hold in their current organization) and their career accomplishments. When someone hands you their business card, take it into both hands, and take the time to actually look at it. You might even consider getting a sleek business card holder to put people’s cards in when you meet them. by treating a person’s card with respect, you are bestowing respect on them by association.
 
Another way to avoid offending others is to understand and practice the art of giving people their “personal space.” Different cultures have different unspoken rules about how much personal space to give. Americans as a general rule like pronounced distance. Ever have someone invade your personal space by getting within 6 inches to a foot of you? It’s creepy. Other cultures don’t practice the same social conventions about having as much space between us humans as a “buffer.”
 
One technique that you can use to put others at ease is called “mirroring.” Mirroring is a technique in which you match your body’s positioning and movements to coincide with the person across from you. The trick is to be as subtle as possible. You definitely don’t want it to be obvious, or they’ll be thinking: “What are you doing, mocking me?!” Why practice mirroring? It’s simple…research shows that by assuming the body posture of the person across from you, you put them at ease which leads to greater trust. This is an especially important goal to achieve during interviews.
 
Following are informative resources for advice and best practices on perfecting your non-verbal cues and body language to exude an aura of trust, likability, and professionalism. Here’s to your continued career success and professional development.
 
Understanding Body Language. written by Kendra Cherry.
 

Seven (7) Non-Verbal Cues & What They (Probably) Mean.
 
Body Language Actions to Avoid.
 
Examples of Body Language.
 
Top Ten body Language Tips
 

Eighteen Ways to Improve Your Body Language.
Understanding Body Language, list of resources on Changing Minds.