Although the world of business can be a very tricky one, perhaps one of the hardest elements of all is actually establishing oneself as a credible, reliable, and qualified businessman. In a world that has become thoroughly saturated with dishonest and lazy people, most are more than happy to meet a fresh face with a personality that embodies some of the classic ideas of doing business. Indeed, far more than any new approach or weird theory packaged in a shiny box, the most effective techniques for building a credible reputation are really some of the simplest. While reputation is sometimes pushed to the backburner in today’s world, the importance of your personal image and what people think of you is one of the single most important factors that can either pave the way for your success or mark the path of failure.
Luckily, while building a reputation is definitely a lengthy process, and cannot be done overnight, it is not a difficult thing to do, and you will find that the more you try to simply embody the values that have been taught to you throughout life, the higher you will find your reputation growing. However, as long as one tends to follow a few simple guidelines, the quest to improve your reputation will become much easier and much more efficient. So, with that in mind, keep the following categories in mind when attempting to build up a reputation for yourself:
1.) Honesty – Many business dealings these days are fraught with dishonesty. Suppliers do not deliver the product they promise, or neglect to supply the right amount, businessman show up late for meetings and agreed upon times, and it is very rare to find a person who actually keeps his or her word. If you truly wish to advance your reputation and improve your image, the first and most important thing to do is simply be honest in what you do, what you intend to do, and when you intend to do it.
2.) Knowledge – Along with a lack of honesty in the business field, their definitely tends to be a lack of knowledge as well. Far too many businessman fail to read up or at least notice the product, service or job they are discussing. To break this cycle, you must become knowledgeable. This means that you must not go to meetings unprepared, you must not meet clients without knowing what they are selling, what it does, and how it works. You must also be informed about the choices you make the information that you relay to others. If you always conduct your dealings in an intelligent manner, you will find that you will start to build a good reputation for yourself.
3.) Availability – Quite simply, no one wants to do business with someone who is always somewhere else, doing something else. If you wish to build a positive relationship with your customers, or wish to build a good reputation for yourself, than you must be available when others need you, even if it means making sacrifices on your part. It should not be difficult for someone to get in touch with you, and the best possible thing to do is to make yourself available through a variety of different channels.
4.) Quality and Reason – These two factors are very closely linked, and both are very important when it comes to creating a good image for yourself. As to quality, you want the product you provide and the services you offer to be top notch. No one wants to do business with someone is selling something that is low quality, and no one also wants to do business with a person who can only offer them subpart quality. For that reason, and for the sake of your reputation, you want to make sure that everything you do and everything you offer really is top notch. Along with that, however, comes reason. Even though you may feel that you offer the best product or service around, there is no reason to charge an astronomically high rate for that service. People are only going to pay what they feel is reasonable, and if they feel that you offer great prices for the services and products you provide, you and your product or service will become a commodity, and a respected one at that.
5.) Respect – Respect is something major, and if you want to have it for yourself, you have to make sure to have it for others. This means a variety of things, you have to return phone calls, answer e-mail, be on time whenever you go, and answer the promises you make to others. This should be a given, but if you want to build up your reputation and the respect others have for you, you must embody that same respect in whatever you do whenever you do it.
6.) Appearance – Yes, in an ideal world it would not matter what you looked like, but the simple fact is that people do tend to judge a lot on appearance. This means you have to dress professionally (suit and tie), keep your hair neat and clean, and display good personal hygiene. This is a major part of getting respect, and if you can show that you have respect for yourself, you will also gain it from others.
When it all comes down to it, building a good reputation and earning respect for yourself is not a complicated process. In fact, it can be very easy, you just need to follow several steps and act towards others the way in which you would want to be treated. Remember, the road to being an ideal businessman is a long one, but with perseverance and determination, anyone can make it.
