Top 5 Rules of Engagement for Small Businesses
1. Please pay me promptly. I am not a savings and loan. I need your payment to pay my mortgage or my child’s college tuition, and I am not a large corporation that can “float” your payment for several weeks.
2. Please give me the courtesy of a reply to my email. I get it—sometimes messages get lost or forgotten in the shuffle. No one likes to get crickets. Even if the answer is: “no thank you,” it is conducive to my business to know that sooner rather than later. If you’re too busy for a thoughtful answer, send a quickie reply with a promise to have a deeper response when things settle down. Then, pin and flag your email to the top of your feed so you don’t forget.
3. If I owe you a phone call, some information, or a deadline is looming...remind me! I’d rather have a friendly reminder than an agitated client!
4. I like you and I want to work with you. I don’t care about “smartest” “most connected” or “status symbol” client or vendor. If I like who I work with, my job is easy. And fun!
5. Keep me in mind for referrals. It’s satisfying to connect two like-minded friends who may do business together, and more often than not, the favor is reciprocal.
These are my top 5. What can you add to the list?
