Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Applying The Golden Rule In Business And Your Career

By Christina Helwig

Remember the Golden Rule? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. By applying this concept in your business or career you will rocket yourself to success and set yourself apart from the competition.

How To Live The Golden Rule In Business

Sometimes its hard to hold yourself to the Golden Rule standard. Things annoy us, customers can be unreasonable and co-workers can be, well co-workers. It takes a great deal of mental effort to be unemotional about a situation that is not to our liking and consciously hold ourselves to a higher standard. No matter what is going on around us we can always treat the people we deal with in business with respect and understanding.

The customer that yells at you might have a sick relative in the hospital, the co-worker that is curt with you might be going through a divorce, venders that do not get back to you might be exceptionally busy. There are countless reasons that situations arise in the workplace where we feel that someone has slighted us or just not given us the respect we think we deserve.

Regardless of how we are treated, we can always respond to others differently. When someone is yelling, we can talk in a calm manner. When someone is being petty we can take the higher road and not become emotionally involved with the situation. It might be difficult to do at times but by taking a breath before you respond to a situation your results will be better.

Act As If You Are On The Other Side Of the Transaction

You should always put yourself on the other side of a transaction. Think about what would I want if I was in this persons shoes? This goes for customers and all the people you come into contact with at your place of work. This doesnt mean that you need to let people walk all over you. Your concern is that you are being reasonable, respectful and that your customer or co-worker comes away from the interaction satisfied that they were dealt with fairly.

By always thinking about what you would want if you were on the other side of the table, your meetings will go more smoothly and you will be much more effective. If you are a salesman you will sell more because you are thinking of your customers needs and wants instead of your own. Review all your actions and think to yourself is this how I would want to be treated? Try to structure each transaction so that it is a win-win for all involved.

Using The Golden Rule With Competitors

Often overlooked is the relationship that you have with your competitors. Have you ever talked to a salesman that is bashing a competitors product? Does it give you a negative feeling? Bashing others products or work will never help your business. Your focus should always be on the benefits that you can offer your customer. Applying the Golden Rule with your competitors is a necessary aspect of your thinking. Sometimes you might not have the right solution for a customer and your competitor does. If the tables were turned you would want your competitor to refer that customer to you. Making referrals will ultimately help you build trust with your customer and with competitors.

People think that the marketplace is limited and that they have to fight their way to the top in their careers and business. Your success is solely due to the quality of your work or products. The simple answer to competition is to make your product the best it can be. Constantly think to yourself how can I improve this? Real champions of business know the only person they need to compete with is themselves. - 16747

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