Sharing Personal Beliefs in Business
Poly Potivistic blogger Elizabeth Scarlett opened up a can of chatty snakes in Biz Talk last week when she asked:
How do you feel about sharing who *you* are through your business, with your clients?
By this, I mean religion, sexual preference, hobbies, family, tastes, etc.
Do you feel that sharing about yourself helps your clients to become more familiar with you as a person and friend? Or do you think that business is business and personal information should be kept separate?
Kisses,
Ms. Scarlett
Now certainly I could rant on here with my own opinions on the topic (hint: It has something to do with being who you are and not being afraid to offend someone) but I think you’d be better off popping into the forum and sounding off on your own.
Bizniks are talking. Why aren’t you?
September 20th, 2006 at 7:48 am
Methinks many of us would enjoy reading your rants on the topic.
Unless you are afraid of offending…;-P
Kisses,
Ms. Scarlett
September 20th, 2006 at 9:31 am
I think there is a balancing act between revealing your deep inner person and being open and honest. Some things, I share with friends, others with partners and still other things take on different gradations with those I interact with in my day to day activities.
I do think sharing a bit about who you are as an individual humanizes the experience for your client. I do not share with every client I take out that I am gay but if someone is antigay or makes such remarks they won’t be in my car for long.
In the same vein, if my client and I are driving around and talking about this and that and they ask what I did for the weekend I won’t exclude the partner portion. It’s not political, just a reality like having a wife and kid. I don’t go in too deep just run the surface content.
As a client and I spend even more time I might reveal more. 98% of my past clients are good friends of mine now. I find that a positive and am proud of that fact.