If you deal with daily meetings and interactions with coworkers, you know just how important it is to speak assertively. But what exactly does “assertively” mean and how do you speak your mind without coming across as rude? These are important questions, as communicating effectively — not to mention politely — is pivotal to your professional success. The last thing you want to do is alienate coworkers (or clients!) with in-your-face boldness.

As Don Draper once said, “…Keep it up, and even if you do get my job, you’ll never run this place. You’ll die in that corner office, a mid-level executive with a little bit of hair who women go home with out of pity. Want to know why? Cause no one will like you.”

And Draper’s advice is spot on; no one responds well to a bossy coworker and being rude is definitely not the way to win a promotion or in-office respect. Remember when asserting yourself or your ideas, your main goal should be to gain and give respect. How?  We suggest focusing on confidence instead of assertiveness. You’ll find that a confidently presented idea or viewpoint will get you far and will garner you more respect in the long run.

Show Confidence

The best solutions come out of problems. A healthy discussion and even a disagreement can be very beneficial, especially in the work space. It means both sides are passionate and want the best for the company. But   in order to communicate effectively you must show confidence in yourself and your ideas. Confirm this confidence by facing coworkers when speaking. Remember that while it’s perfectly fine to refer to notes, the majority of a conversation or presentation should be spent making eye contact – both when you are speaking and (even more importantly) while you’re listening.

Exhibit Leadership Qualities

Part of speaking in an assertive manner is demonstrating leadership skills. When you are assertive in a conversation, you are leading that conversation. But don’t use this as a time to be condensing. Steer clear of using big words in an effort to deliberately impress people and try to avoid making coworkers feel defensive. Think about your approach, delivery, and what you want as a result of your conversation.

Be Specific and Clear

Part of speaking to people is, well, speaking to people. To avoid miscommunication, speak clearly and stay on topic. If you are curious or need clarification about something, just ask. If you are feeling frustrated by a coworker’s solution or point-of-view, for the interest of a win-win situation, try to look at the big picture and, if you must, excuse yourself from the conversation altogether. The quickest way to lose respect in the office is to let your emotions take over your professionalism. Being kind and courteous should always win out over your efforts to be right.

On that note…

Say Exactly What You Mean

No one likes to listen to someone drone on. Often, the more you say, the less is heard. Keep things specific, use facts, and be conversational — not confrontational.

Listen — REALLY Listen

When you’re talking, show coworkers that you hear them and that you understand. Most times, people just want to be heard. Prefacing your comments with a rephrasing of their last statement will both put them at ease and make them more open to listening and understanding your stance and possible solution.

Don’t Feel Guilty for Being Assertive

It’s more than okay to stand up for yourself, your ideas and opinions. Being assertive is in fact very important when communicating with others, not to mention coworkers. Practice, assess the situation, and use confidence to emphasize rather than provoke. Remember, in the end, it’s respect you seek.

By Christina Macres

There are many business owners and staff that are unaware of how much they are damaging their business – by not doing the ‘little things’ that add value to their product or service.

Seemingly simple or even trivial things can make the difference between an unhappy customer and a raving one.

But there’ s a warning here.

Adding value, or going the extra mile doesn’t usually mean you have to walk over hot coals for your customers.

And it doesn’t mean you have to give away profit either.

In most situations it’s the opposite.

All you have to do is the little things – the ‘little things’ that make a big difference to the CUSTOMER.

So don’t worry about giving away a lot of product, or a lot of times to ‘add value’ just use plain old good manners.

Let me give you an example.

I worked with a business that installed computer cabling. The size of a good order was about $50K to $250K worth of cabling.

The technicians that installed the cable were specialists and had a high degree of specialized knowledge. And they believed that they were doing a great service to their client by installing their cables.

But they got a lot of complaints… and do you know what for?

‘Trivial things’ as the technicians called it…

The customers were complaining about the dust, hand prints and foot prints left on their work desks.

You see the technicians usually had to get into the ceilings of the offices to lay the cables, and that meant standing on tables.

When the technicians got into the ceilings dust would start falling down onto the tables.

The ‘tables’ they had to stand on, and the ‘tables’ that collected all the dust were the customers work stations.

And the customers hated it.

The customers also complained that their computers had been moved.

Despite the regular complaints the technicians just laughed it off with a ‘get over it’ attitude.

And it cost the business thousands upon thousands over a number of years.

Their referral rate was nil, and they started losing long time customers.

And they couldn’t work it out.

To them it didn’t make sense.

After all they were doing highly specialized work that only highly trained people could do and the complaints were about ‘footprints’ and ‘dust’.

To them it didn’t make sense… but if you were the customer – how would you like it if someone came in and left ‘stuff’ all over your desk, moved your computer, and your ‘special’ things you have around it?

People get protective about their property.

And as a service to them, we need to respect their property.

So with some customer service training and some standard operating procedures we fixed the ‘problem’

Now the business cleans up after themselves and makes sure everything is left spotless.

Instead of stepping on desks – they have their own customized step ladders.

It’s the businesses way of ‘adding value’ and going the extra mile.

And it only cost a little bit of time, which of course was chargeable to the customer. And the customer was happy about paying it, because they were happy.

Here’s another example…

I have a graduate that cuts down oversized trees in people yards. When he’s cutting down trees sawdust flies everywhere… so he covers the flowers and garden with material to stop the sawdust flying into areas that the customers hates.

It’s my clients’ way of being unique and adding value.

Another client of mine services computers. And when they service the computer they clean it up so that it looks like new. The customer can’t tell what the technicians have done to the inside of the computer, but by making the outside look clean and spotless – like it was new, the customer thinks – ‘gee they must have done a great job’.

It’s the little things that add value and make you different.

There are numerous ways of adding value to your customers. And it doesn’t have to involve money – it usually just involves manners.

Treat people better than you’d expect to be treated.

That way you’ll add value, delight your customers – and you’ll grow your business successfully.

That’s the 16th secret of business growth – add value by using manners.

Copyright © 2006 by Casey Gollan. All Rights Reserved

Want to communicate a positive impression to your customers?  Try being proactive.  During a speaking trip, I experienced “proactive” in action.  While speaking at WestEx 2002, a hospitality conference sponsored by the Colorado Restaurant Association, I stayed at the Holiday Inn Denver North Coliseum.

The morning after my stay, I checked out and stored my luggage.

The regular shuttle driver was unavailable.  Ginger, at the front desk, volunteered to take me to the conference.  “Volunteered” in this case is synonymous with “proactive.”  Ginger even warmed up the van.

It turned out the regular driver (Sorry, I forgot to ask his name; let’s call him “Fred.”) returned by the time I was ready to leave.  So, “Fred” took me, instead.  Still, Ginger had volunteered to leave her busy front desk and brave the cold, snowy morning even when it wasn’t in her job description.

Promptly at 4:00 p.m., Jason, a different driver, picked me up at the conference.  Jason had brought my luggage.  He assumed I was going to the airport and wanted to save me an extra trip to the hotel to retrieve my luggage.

There was only one catch.  I wasn’t going to the airport.  I was returning to the hotel.  Jason cheerfully returned my luggage to storage.

What was his risk in being proactive?  Zero.  Zilch.  The worst thing that could’ve happened was that I didn’t need my luggage.  Guess what?  The “worst thing” happened, and it was no big deal.  On the contrary, I was impressed.  I was even more impressed when Jason offered to drive me to the mall, so I’d have something to do while I waited.  Although I declined the offer, it was nice of him to suggest it.

When Michelle, the reservations manager, saw I had returned, she took a moment to chat – even though she was obviously busy.  By initiating the conversation, she created rapport.  In a mere few minutes, we built a relationship.

When the morning shuttle driver “Fred” passed by, he asked how the conference went.  He not only took the time the speak to me, he remembered he’d taken me to the conference earlier.

A little later, Liz (who had registered me the previous evening) walked by. “Still here?” she inquired.  When she discovered that I would be waiting awhile longer, she suggested I visit the bar, where they were offering free appetizers. She didn’t stop there.  She offered me free drink coupons, which she went out of her way to walk to the front desk to retrieve.

What do Ginger, “Fred,” Jason, Michelle, and Liz have in common?  They all took action and did something positive for me, the guest, without being asked.  They went beyond the scope of their job description.  They were proactive.  The result?  The guest was impressed!

By Kelly J.

Watkins, MBA.