Tag Archives: business etiquette

Can You Un-Ghost Someone?

Kevin Willett says not to ghost in the first place!

The other day I received a message from someone who saw a business video I recently did about ghosting. The person stated that he had ghosted me in the past. At the time he did not think he had a need for my services, and he didn’t see value in starting a business relationship. Fast forward a couple of years and his thoughts have changed. Although the video I did was not about him, he was someone who ghosted me (Ghosting is when someone says they are interested in doing business with you but then never returns your calls or emails). Now he wanted to chat about working together. My first thought was, no thank you! But, you know what, what does that accomplish? Maybe he has changed, maybe he is sincere this time. So, I agreed to chat. I made it clear though that ghosting is not good for his business. Honesty is always a winner. So, if you do not want to do business, be honest and say so. If you do not want to receive email updates or invitations to events, just say so! That way, if things don’t work out and you call me again in two years, my first thought won’t be NO THANK YOU. Now we are chatting, he is going to try an event or two and we’ll see if we can help each other. I guess that means he is un-ghosted. 😊

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events

No Such Thing As A Friendly Ghost

Kevin Willett says Casper notwithstanding, ghosting is anything but friendly

One of the challenges of being a business owner is when people tell you no, they do not want/need your services. It’s tough to handle sometimes. But it is part of business. What is worse than someone telling you no? Someone ghosting you, not getting back to you, ignoring you. This is especially hurtful when you have spoken to someone and they tell you they do want your services. It has happened to me. I’ll invite someone to networking events and they tell me they are excited to attend. I’ll send invites and receive no response. I’ll email and no response. Why didn’t they just say no? They didn’t want to hurt my feelings. Well they have just wasted my time by making me work for them to come to events they had no intention of showing up to. They have wasted their own time by deleting my invites and emails. How does that help either one of us? Just say no! When I receive a straightforward negative response, I always thank the person for their honesty. This sometimes surprises them. “I can’t believe you thanked me for saying I did not want to attend your events!” They have just made my life easier by telling me there was one less email I’ll have to send that I will not get a response to. Of course, I’m thankful you just saved me time and effort!

If there is something or someone you need to say no to, then do it. Do not ghost them. This only causes anger; time wasted and hurts relationships on both sides. You could be viewed as unreliable and hurt your brand. Saying no is hard but is best for everyone. Don’t waste a business owner’s time by having them send emails, prepare quotes, or make calls on your behalf. Saying no hurts now but, be respectful and they will appreciate it and will benefit your brand in the long run.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events

The Proper Way to Say No

Kevin Willett says there is a right way and a wrong way to turn somebody down.

The simple answer to the question is to say no nicely.

Let me give you two examples. I reached out to a person to ask them if they were interested in attending business networking events and they responded NOPE!!!!!!!! Really, is that necessary? Did they really need to use that many exclamation points and all caps?

This morning I had a person respond by saying thank you for reaching out to me, but it’s not a match for my business at this time.

The answer is no in both scenarios, but the second person was polite and left the door open for us to do business in the future.

You want to be careful about being mean, negative or sarcastic when you respond to emails. You never know when you may need or want that person’s help in the future. I won’t ever invite or consider working with that first person again. It amazes me how people are connected and the impact a mean message can have on your business.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events

You Look Great

Kevin Willett says that compliments can be awkward when you don’t know all the facts

Please be cautious about complementing people on their weight loss, not everyone is trying to lose weight.

I have a friend going through a horrible divorce and he has lost a ton of weight because he is heartbroken. People keep complimenting hi on his weight loss. He told me that he just wants to say ‘thanks for the complement on my weight loss, maybe my wife should have left me years ago’.

I have another friend who is sick, and he has lost a lot of weight because of the chemo treatments. When people comment he smiles and says, ‘the chemo is working out great’.

Do you see how awkward things can be simply because you are trying to complement someone? For some reason many of my friends are obsessed with weight and commenting on who has lost and gained weight. Please keep those comments to yourself unless you know for certain that the person is trying to lose weight, then of course you should congratulate them on their success.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events

Are you using me?

Kevin Willett says to be respectful when asking for advice from professionals

I was speaking to my friend, who is a Financial Planner, and he was upset because he has a few people who constantly call him for free advice, and he is not sure how to handle this situation. Sadly, this happens all the time.

For me the rule is simple, if you are asking for common knowledge advice, like how much money can I add to my IRA each year, then in most cases that is probably OK. If you are asking what investments to select to invest your IRA in, then you have crossed the line.

Please be respectful to your friends and business contacts. If the information is something that they charge their clients for then please do not expect them to share that advice with you for free.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events

Hug or No Hug

Kevin Willett says the hugging culture is nice, but in business there is a time and place for it.

I tend to hug everyone I meet, and I have learned it is not a great idea. There are people who simply do not want to be hugged. It is a horrible feeling when you hug someone, and you feel their whole body get tight and you know they are saying ‘why is this guy hugging me’. Please be cautious of this because it may be costing you business.

I read an article recently that suggested that you let the lady take the lead when it comes to hugging. I am not sure I agree with that, because I have a lot of male friends that really don’t like being hugged, by a male or female.

If you are not sure if you should hug someone or not, then the answer is you shouldn’t. I ended up in a weird situation recently. I had a woman asked me why I did not hug her. She noticed I hugged two other women in her industry, so her conclusion was that I liked them better than her.  I must admit that floored me. I did not realize the message I was sending her.

Hugging people in a business setting can be very confusing. It is much easier to simply shake hands to make sure that you are not sending the wrong message.

Watch my YouTube Channel  for more on this and other Business Networking Tips

Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business  (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon

Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group  and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events