You may wonder why sometimes at work you do not get the result you thought you would and are at a loss as to why. You could change this by working on
How You Come Across
The person you are at work is always under scrutiny and when you are dealing with other people; it goes without say that you cannot control what they think about you. Some will put a label on you (albeit wrongly) but you need to know who you are and recognize how you come across. Once you recognize this you can try to make sure that you are not giving the wrong impression. It is difficult to be in control all the time but when dealing with people it is crucial to know yourself and understand how you are perceived because this will affect the communication to follow.
You may not be a chatty person but, sometimes a smile is better than any number of words.
How You Respond
You cannot control what people think about you but you can control how you respond to them. And you can try to understand them. The problem they are facing, what they have tried before arriving where they are now and their frustration. The long queue still forming behind them is not an excuse to quickly dismiss them. Put yourself in their shoes so to speak and understand what they are experiencing. Forget the queue, that it is almost lunch hour and that you have a quota to fill. How you respond to people will help them reign in their temper or anxiety and probably put the next anxious person in the queue at ease.
Your positive demeanor will give assurance and allow people to recognize your care and understanding.
How You Value Yourself
Do you know what you can offer? You may not be the biggest or best in the business (or the office) but you do have something to offer. Is it the hours you put in, the time you open, the price of your product, the ease of access, the speed of your work or service, the transparency and very clear Terms and Conditions or your honesty and integrity?
Knowing what you can offer is very important and more important is making sure that other people know this. Blow your trumpet once in a while and let others know exactly what their benefit is and why you should be their first choice or even their first alternative.
Being the alternative is nothing to snivel at; it is definitely better than being ignored.
How important it is to Keep Your Word
Once you tell someone that you will do something at a particular time or charge a certain price; do it. Do what you said you will do. Do not ask someone to come back at a certain time and not be available or agree on a price and give an excuse about why the price has changed. The usual excuses about the age of stock or the currency fluctuations should never take priority over your word. When you give your word (either in written or verbally) follow through. Every time you do not, you are eroding your reputation and under mining yourself as a trustworthy person.
When you need to say yes, say yes and when you need to say no, say no.
