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You Lose
Business When You Miss Manners
By
Grant Crowell
Network etiquette
is understood to be one basic rule: show consideration for the
other party online.
Until now, the
edict has been written mostly from the point of view of
relationships between individuals, or between businesses and
consumers.
One important
group has often been overlooked: business-to-business (B2B).
It is for this
group that etiquette plays the most crucial part. The slightest
improper behavior online can ruin a good business opportunity.
Business-to-business
etiquette is a growing, evolving behavior model for how to
present oneself and represent one's company when networking
online.
The guidelines
were established from no central source but through a
collaborative process that grew along with the Internet.
Where Businesses
Fail
Business
operators new to the Web are eager to solicit prospects and
partnerships online but are generally ignorant about how to go
about it professionally.
Without knowledge
of B2B etiquette, your actions can be taken for rudeness or
incompetence, leaving the other party with a poor impression of
your company.
Whether you
solicit new partnerships or seek to maintain and build
relationships with current businesses, the key is to prevent
misunderstanding and not give offense.
When sending
e-mail:
Can the
urge to be creative. Avoid using multiple fonts, size
and colors. No HTML or rich media, either. Keep it all in plain
text.
Keep it
punctual. Don't speak at excessive length. Don't use
jargon or talk with an overly hip attitude. For your signature
file, don't use cute quotes (unless it happens to be the slogan
of your business).
Watch
your tone. Don't speak in terms of how great you think
your company is. Speak from the point of view of the other
business to say, "Look what we can do for you."
Size
matters. Don't tie up people's e-mail by sending large,
unsolicited attachments. If you have to send a large file, give
warning, check on a time most appropriate to send it, such as
before or after regular working hours, or send it in segments.
Use
discretion. Something that might seem funny to you
might be patently offensive to someone else. Even if the person
on the other end has no problem with what you're sending, other
people in their office could glance at the offending message. If
you're that inclined to show or tell the person what you have,
ask for a non-business e-mail address you can send it to where
they can review it with more privacy.
Article
Continues below...
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Continued...
Link Requests
Planning to
feature a hyperlink on your page to a business site? Proper
etiquette involves giving the site owners notice. Explain why
you would like to feature them on your site, where you plan to
feature them, and the description you plan on using with their
link.
If you're
soliciting another company to link to your site, provide some
background information. Give a brief introduction, a description
on your company, and how your site would be a benefit to the
prospect's audience.
Make sure your
link has relevance to the other company's site. If yours is a
car company, you shouldn't solicit a Web design company for a
link. Offer something in return, such as a reciprocal link, that
is, you linking to the other site as well, and/or some specific
comments about that site.
It doesn't leave
the solicited with a good impression if you expect something and
offer nothing. A generic link request is about the worst thing
you can do. It shows you have nothing to say about the site, and
yet you expect its operator to do something for you.
Free Advice
There's nothing
wrong with asking your colleagues for advice, but expecting free
business advice from people you don't know personally — and
for your own business gain — is a very touchy issue.
If you are set on
asking a company or an individual whom you've never met for
advice, handle yourself with the greatest care. Introduce
yourself; give your profession and or skill background (if
you're a student, mention where and what you are studying);
explain why you need the advice and how you plan to use it.
To make a better
impression, mention an interest in the person's site or works,
and what you found there to be helpful or interesting.
Most importantly,
before you ask for any advice, search the Web site first —
then the search engines and directories — to see if the answer
is there.
Even if the
business doesn't have the answer readily available, showing that
you put in an effort will make its owners more open to referring
you to another site that might have the information you seek.
Services, With
Strings Attached
If you're
soliciting another business to provide you with services, it's
incredibly rude to expect a work commitment without a
contractual arrangement. Some common examples are:
- Telling a
business owner to look at your Web site or your other online
works, and asking what would improve them.
- Expecting
business owners to create a few samples so they can wait for
your decision.
- Offering to
pay for work based on increased revenue, such as pay for
performance. If you want some assurance as to work and
service quality, look at a portfolio and ask for references.
B2B etiquette
means knowing how to present yourself online with the same
degree of formality and professionalism you would in a
face-to-face meeting.
The next time you
attempt relations with a new business, stop to think how the
person on the other end is likely to receive your communication.
Put yourself in those shoes and ask, "What kind of
impression do I make?"
The views of our authors don' t necessarily
reflect the views and policies of this company or its
advertisers.
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