Ten Desperately Needed Rules for Corporate Etiquette

Not only are many corporates exceedingly greedy, but they’re also rude.

Customer servicePhoto byCartoon by Lambert-King

Over the years we’ve seen a shift in wealth. Wealth doesn’t seem to be trickling down, it seems to be getting sucked from the ground up. While corporations and those at the top seem to be prospering, things at ground level aren’t so rosy. Not only are corporations getting wealthier, in many cases, but they’re also becoming ruder.

To combat that trend, here are some things for corporate leaders, and in some cases, corporate workers to keep in mind.

1: Stop whining about how “people don’t want to work”.

While in some cases that may be true, perhaps the situation is more likepeople don’t want to work for peanuts.It’s an ugly look to see corporate CEOs whomismanaged funds get millions of dollars in the form of a golden parachute while complaining about people not wanting to perpetuate a losing game.

Bar Rescue guy, John Tapper, said,“A hungry dog is an obedient dog”.Treating employees like hungry dogs is probably a poor business model long-term.

2: Stop robocalls.

These calls are killing landlines in this country. Pretty much all the calls I received on the last landline I had were sales or robocalls. Plus, it’s agutless way to do business.At least let the consumer have an opportunity to reject your pitch to a person.Some people prefer cussing at a human instead of a machine, but they often aren’t given that chance.

3: If you’re a corporate rep,pay attention to non-verbal clues.

For example, if you see the person you’re pitching retrieving a firearm, it’s best to conclude the presentation and move on. Quickly.

4: Don’t try to upsell all the time.

I’ve heard of ABC, always be closing but there are times when discretion is the better part of valor. When I call in with a problem, I want the situation resolved. I’m not interested in spending more money with a company I’m having trouble with.

5: No means no.

That’s true on a date or in a sales presentation.I’ve sat through a timeshare presentation where I was almost literally held hostage.Some sales managers insist that salespeople make the prospect say no three times.Depending on who the prospect is, that can be dangerous. If it’s not dangerous, it’s at least disrespectful.

If a company has to bulldoze a prospect to close, they’ve done a poor job of identifying their prospect or market.

6:Having employees wear suits doesn’t make your organization classy.

Bernie Madoff wore a suit and was devoid of class,as are a lot of hucksters who defraud people while smiling at them.

7: Stop trainingyour customer service to say, “I’m sorry” incessantly.

Instead, actually empower them to be able to address a problem.If apologizing is all a customer service rep can do, they’re being paid to be a punching bag by proxy.The person responsible for making poor customer service policy is hiding behind behind some lowly paid service rep.

A customer service rep caught in that position is like the mole in a whack-a-mole game.

Ultimately, it doesn’t lead to good customer service.

8: Change the message on your machine.

Often,I hear the expression,“Your call is very important to us”. That usually applies only if you’re going to give them money.If calls were that important to them, they’d answer more calls.Or at the very least, return phone calls. To have calls repeatedly not answered or returned belies a company’s claim that calls are very important to them.

9: Don’t hype your humanitarian causes and charities while dodging taxes and taking advantage of employees.

In essence, when that happens,the company’s not giving, employees and the public at large are.Albeit, unwillingly and sometimes unknowingly. It’s always easier to be generous with somebody else’s money.

10: Be on time.

Even if you don’t have to go somewhere, don’t make your clients wait. Setting an appointment, then making the other party wait is rude, and poor business.

Those are all things I would like to see happen. I’d also like to lose 30 pounds and be able to fly.I don’t look for any of those things to happen soon.