Like this article? PLEASE +1 it!

Handshaking for Business, is that Smart?

Guest post by: Betty Penny

Article Overview: Conducting business during the last century was based on building relationships, face to face meetings with firm handshakes, verbal commitments and being part of an inner circle of business friends. Handshakes today carry a different meaning altogether when doing business. People are generally more careful who they shake hands with; caused by the mass publicity about sterilization and hand washing to avoid deadly viruses. It seems that the North American tradition of having that firm physical handshake to do business does not hold true as much as it once did.

Free Download - Setting Achievable Business Goals By Betty Penny

Handshaking for Business, is that Smart?

When we look at how technology has shaped the way we do business in the last 20 years, we seem to forget how business was done before technology became integrated into our everyday lives. Conducting business during the last century was based on building relationships, face to face meetings with firm handshakes, verbal commitments and being part of an inner circle of business friends. Connections usually were gained through handshakes with contacts at clubs, social activity with friends and relatives. While this type of networking is still important in today’s times when doing business, the internet has opened a new way of gaining business. At one time it was not possible for the ordinary business to participate without incurring the huge expense of travelling and time commitment. That is no longer the case.

Handshakes today carry a different meaning altogether when doing business. People are generally more careful who they shake hands with; caused by the mass publicity about sterilization and hand washing to avoid deadly viruses. In doing business, I have come across situations where instead of saying I don’t want to shake hands, they will say, oh, I have a cold today, and I don’t want to pass it on to you or they will have their hands full to avoid the situation entirely. Some places of business have sterilization products in their reception area. Since handshaking has been always a traditional North American practice in doing business, there really is no nice way to say I don’t want to shake hands without the other person not feeling offended.

While in some cultures it is acceptable not to shake hands but just bow as acknowledgement of business and others there is physical hugging and kissing of the cheeks. These have always been acceptable ways of doing business in those cultures but in North America we stick with the firm handshake. And now with the internet, some people are conducting entire business transactions from one side of the globe to other without ever having to meet in person or have any physical contact.

It seems that the North American tradition of having that firm physical handshake to do business does not hold true as much as it once did. With doing business on the internet, we are learning that we need to be flexible to change in adapting what we have commonly known to be traditional ways of doing business in order to succeed.

With some companies, they can count the number of times on one hand that they have physically shaken hands with someone in past three months. Even among my staff they probably have had no physical contact except by internet, email, courier and phone.

We need to be adaptable to the new ways of doing business with less physical contact, but also be sensitive of person’s phobia in shaking hands and perhaps say we don’t need to shake hands to seal the deal with a smile. We need to learn that to communicate effectively we always don’t need physical contact to develop business relationships.

Related Articles

10 Tips for Reluctant Networkers

The hard part (one of them)

Everything I Know About Business I Learned from Colonel Flagg

Steam is coming out my ears, and it will be coming out of yours too!

Hit Radio Show Smart Money with Keith Springer Hosted by Sacramento Financial Advisor Keith Springer

What is Your Company\'s Mobile Web Strategy?

Looking For Smart Business And Ideas

Establishing Your Sales Objectives

Church ATMs

Stop Saying “Work Smarter, Not Harder” and Great Things Shall Happen!

MLM Success: 6 MLM Secret Tactics To work Smart

"Lazy Sales Professional" - An Oxymoron

SMART Business Goals

Mobile Explosion: 3 Tipping Points

Most successful people set goals. How about you?

Are Your Goals SMART?

Rat-like Cunning - Intelligent Persistence, Singular Focus

Smart Phones and Social Media

Simple Sales - Medical Sales Training

Marketing to get results!

Home > Women-Entrepreneurs > Betty Penny > Handshaking for Business is that Smart > Google +

Article Tags: american tradition, building relationships, doing business, handshake

About the Author: Betty Penny
RSS for Betty's articles - Visit Betty's website

Betty Penny BA, MBA, has over 20 years of for profit and not for profit financial and business management experience in virtual management through technology. Her organization Penny & Associates Inc. provides outsourced accounting and virtual CFO services for numerous not for profits organizations through-out Canada & US. Betty has chaired the Durham Region Economic Development Advisory Committee, she was appointed as Director/Treasurer for Ontario Family Health Networks, is one of the founding members of Women in International Trade Ontario - Toronto Chapter and the founder of The Durham Home and Small Business Association. She also sit sits on a regional tourism committee. Betty belongs to the PWC Alumni and is also an entrepreneur who owns a dinner cruise boat business. She has received numerous business awards and has authored many financial management articles that have been published in small business magazines nationally. Her entrepreneurial approach with personal coaching with lecture/seminars to executives has helped many for profit and not for profit organizations achieve their objectives.

Click here to visit Betty's website