Managing Director of Kirk Johnson Executive Search A member of the Sanford Rose Associates® network of offices, Kirk Johnson, Featured in www.americanexpress.com, 7 Personal Habits That Can Instantly Turn Off Business Colleagues

Dallas, TX 6/25/2014

By Geoff Williams

These days, meeting someone in person can arguably be a bit unnerving for some entrepreneurs. After all, according to the 2010 U.S. Census records, there are at least 10.1 million self-employed people, and while yes, plenty of solopreneurs pride themselves on dressing up even when they’re working out of their home office, it’s a safe bet plenty of you’re working in sweatpants and forgetting to comb your hair until you pass a mirror at 11 in the morning. And if the only people you see on a regular basis are your spouse, your kids and the UPS driver, chances are also good you aren’t exactly polishing your communication skills on a regular basis.

Even if you manage to get through a face-to-face meeting by showing up on time and not dressing too casually, wearing a bow tie, chewing gum, dropping too much business jargon or being dismissive, you could still pick up the phone and turn someone off. Kirk Johnson, Managing Director of Kirk Johnson Executive Search in Corona, California, says he’s always a bit irked when he’s talking to someone on the phone and hears them tapping away, replying to emails. “And eating during a phone conversation—we can tell,” he says.

Read more: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/7-personal-habits-that-can-instantly-turn-off-business-colleagues/?linknav=us-openforum-search-article-link2