By Prerna Malik

Networking is key to boosting your professional growth or improving your business prospects. Whether you work in an organization or run your own show, you have to spend time interacting with people, both in person and via email or social networking sites.

Have you ever stopped to give a thought to how people may perceive you via your networking efforts?

Do you come across as the helpful team player you really are or do people think you’re nosy and bothersome? Do your emails upset your clients? Do your social media profiles tie in with your professional and business goals?

Yes, networking is important and how you network makes a huge difference to how people respond and react to you. Create a networking style that is authentic and appealing [...]]]> Networking is essential for career growth. However, are you networking the right way? Here are 5 common networking mistakes you should never make.

By Prerna Malik

Networking is key to boosting your professional growth or improving your business prospects. Whether you work in an organization or run your own show, you have to spend time interacting with people, both in person and via email or social networking sites.

Have you ever stopped to give a thought to how people may perceive you via your networking efforts?

Do you come across as the helpful team player you really are or do people think you’re nosy and bothersome? Do your emails upset your clients? Do your social media profiles tie in with your professional and business goals?

Yes, networking is important and how you network makes a huge difference to how people respond and react to you. Create a networking style that is authentic and appealing by avoiding these 5 common networking mistakes:

1. Using the wrong body language and tone

Networking in person at events, meetings and conferences can be a great way to meet potential employers and prospective clients. However, if your body language comes across as overbearing or aggressive, you’ll only end up driving people away. Lata Goenka Kedia, Founder and Image Director at Maximum Effect Image Consultants says, “Respect body space and don’t hog people.” Using too many gestures, loud talking or moving in too close to a person can put off people and be disastrous for your networking efforts.

Conversation too is vital. Whether you’re talking online or offline, how you converse makes a world of difference to your networking abilities and success. Do your emails have letters in CAPS? Do you use pleasantries before jumping into dry business details? When you talk to someone, are you curt or is your voice warm and welcoming?

The best way to know whether you’re making this networking mistake is to ask for feedback from others – a professional business consultant, trusted friends, colleagues or even, family members. Ask them to read your email or social media updates and give you feedback on phone conversations.

Whether you’re talking online or offline, how you converse makes a world of difference to your networking abilities and success.

2. Networking only when you want to

Are you networking only to promote yourself or only when you want to? Is your online or offline conversation only about you, you and more you? Well, chances are that people are no longer listening. Networking only to sell will never help you actually sell anything. Sarika Gupta Bhattacharya, Founder and Director of Altavis and BizDivas puts is best when she says, “Avoid hard selling or even selling while networking… focus on helping and building a connection or relationship.”

Networking should be about helping another person and not about helping yourself. Your communication should reflect your desire to actually build a professional relationship with the other person. Garvita Chaturvedi, Executive Coach and HR Specialist at Altavis Pvt. Ltd, feels one should, “Focus on finding out areas of common interest rather than talking about your own product/service.”

Networking only when you want to is a mistake that most people make and this sends out the message that you’re not serious about your network and only want to ‘use’ them. And trust me, no one likes to be used. So, make networking an integral part of your everyday life and you’ll be surprised to see the benefits flow in.

3. Not respecting personal boundaries

Do you contact people whenever you want to? Call them at inappropriate hours or drop by their offices without prior appointments? Bhattacharya stresses the importance of asking for permission to contact people over the phone and also, ask for convenient times to call. Yes, life is busy for everyone and no one likes to be bothered by calls and meetings that aren’t scheduled and planned. So, before you pick up that phone, check to see if the time is appropriate and if possible, send an email to set up a convenient time to chat. 

4. Spamming your network

Unfortunately, not many of us realize that we’re spamming our carefully cultivated network when we send out mass emails, tweets or posts simply talking about our latest product, event or promotion. All the time. Sure, you can reach out to your network to share your business, but if you do it too often, people will lose interest and will no longer want to stay connected with you. A good rule is to have a healthy mix of business, general and personal updates. It is easier to exploit social media than engage with it, so review your last emails and social networking updates to see if you’re making this huge mistake.

5. Telling your network…everything

In an age where Facebook friends and Twitter followers are an integral part of our lives, it is easy to share everything with our network – from our latest product to the toothache you’re experiencing today. Don’t get carried away by the ease of social networking and use it to share EVERYTHING with your friends and followers. Why? Because you never know who may be listening to your online conversation.

A prospective employer may Google your name and come across your rant about a former co-worker on Facebook, using uncomplimentary language.

Treat your online conversations with the same respect and discretion as your offline interactions.

Treat your online conversations with the same respect and discretion as your offline interactions. Don’t ‘say’ anything that can impact your professional reputation in a negative way. A little tact, diplomacy and caution can go a long way in creating a professional network that works to your utmost advantage.

Networking in a way that reflects genuine concern and authenticity is what connects others to you. So, the next time you write an email or Facebook update or make a phone call, make sure that you aren’t making these networking gaffes and hurting your professional reputation.

What do you think are the networking mistakes that people make when connecting with others, online and offline?

*Photo credit: MichaelR

By Piya Jayarajan

With the Internet and social media playing a huge role in buying decisions today, one may be led to believe that an e-commerce business is all about a good website and secondly an account on Facebook or Twitter, or sometimes even both. But in reality, it is not. If you are looking to kick-start an online business, what are the things to keep in mind?

Earning the customer’s trust

An attractive website alone cannot convince a customer into considering your services worthwhile. It helps if critical information such as physical address or location, biography of the proprietor or the management team (preferably with photographs) is published on the website.

Many websites also showcase their associations or affiliations with parent firms, and details on the investors if any. This adds to the [...]]]> Online businesses often seem deceptively easy to start. But what are the pitfalls that you might need to be aware of?

By Piya Jayarajan

With the Internet and social media playing a huge role in buying decisions today, one may be led to believe that an e-commerce business is all about a good website and secondly an account on Facebook or Twitter, or sometimes even both. But in reality, it is not. If you are looking to kick-start an online business, what are the things to keep in mind?

Earning the customer’s trust

An attractive website alone cannot convince a customer into considering your services worthwhile. It helps if critical information such as physical address or location, biography of the proprietor or the management team (preferably with photographs) is published on the website.

Many websites also showcase their associations or affiliations with parent firms, and details on the investors if any. This adds to the legitimacy of the venture. Apart from these steps, it is imperative to provide relevant and updated information on the products or services that you offer.

“Arth markets authentic Indian handicrafts, so we emphasize on blogs and pictures of various crafts and artisans. This helps customers better understand and appreciate the crafts,” says Divya Ravichandran, who is the sole proprietor of Arth Crafts, a venture that markets authentic Indian handicrafts.

Needless to say, social media platforms should address any customer queries, feedback and complaints quickly so that there is no room for doubt. Testimonials too go a long way in adding authenticity to one’s business.

Getting them to “Add to cart”

Unfortunately the adage “If you cannot convince them, confuse them” does not hold good in the virtual world. In fact, it spells disaster!  You must not only convince the customer about your offerings, but also ensure that she makes that final purchase from you and not your competitor. Here is where user friendliness of your website, ease of navigation and cataloguing of your products or services play a huge role. No customer will make a purchase without checking out the product range, testimonials, and most importantly payment and delivery options.

Divya opines that payment options can make a difference, “There is always this initial hesitation to shop online with a new store. Here, a return policy or cash on delivery is helpful to convince customers to make the purchase.”

…the adage “If you cannot convince them, confuse them” does not hold good in the virtual world. In fact, it spells disaster!

The easier and quicker the payment and checkout options are, the better. Saurabh Mathur, one of the founders of Rangiru, a website that offers a variety of handmade products, tells us that it is possible to calculate the drop off rates. He shares, “It is a well known fact that there should be minimal number of steps after the customer has clicked on “Add To Cart” or you risk losing customers at every step. Google Analytics and other e-commerce analytics software offer funnel visualization of your sale flow. This gives a good idea on how much the drop off rate is at each step in the purchase process and you can improve your site based on that.”

Customer retention and growth

Businesses need to nurture customer relationships with excellent after-sales services, attractive offers and competent advertising. The aim should be to attain a right mix of repeat and new customers.

Udit Hooda, owner of Travel Sense India, a boutique travel company believes in updating interested customers regularly. He states, “Once a month or so personal mailers and newsletter about the company’s activities, deals and products is a good idea. Of course they should be subscribed by the buyer out of interest and not spammed’.

Managing expenses wisely

Many a time, we are led to believe that setting up an online business is a lot easier on the wallet compared to a retail store. Well, that is not the case always.

“The expenditures in e-commerce are usually around website development, hosting, online ads, office space and tie ups with payment gateways etc. Services like Amazon web services now provide a free server to companies for up to one year for hosting. This can help you get bootstrapped until you increase the daily user footprint of your site. We built our website ourselves and maintain it too so we didn’t incur that cost,” Saurabh explains.

You may also need to invest in ads on a “pay per click” basis. According to the budget, Google/Facebook will showcase your ads to the target audience. Chalking out such expenses wisely helps to sustain the business and minimize losses.

Adding a personal touch

Many believe that adding a personal touch like an e-mail or phone call can make all the difference. “I call each customer after they receive products; customers appreciate the personal touch and are more likely to make repeat purchases.” says Divya.

It always pays to go an extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction. “We often talk to the customers to ask about their orders to reassure them that there are real people behind these websites who care about their preferences. We also have a blog and a Facebook page where we encourage folks to simply chat with us, praise us or bash us,” says Saurabh.

It always pays to go an extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction.

Smooth and secure functioning

If your website is not up to speed and adequately protected by internet firewalls, you are very close to chasing your customers away. Technical glitches and bugs are the biggest turn offs for any online shopper. Having a website which gets disrupted between transactions will only fetch you a long list of disgruntled customers.

Udit reiterates how this can leave a bad impression on the customer. He elaborates, “A website is like your store, and like it is important to have a right location and infrastructure, it is also critical to have the right server, hosting and other technical back-end services in place. Inviting the customer to a malfunctioning site is like closing your store when the customer has come to shop.”

Saurabh adds, “Hosting your site in the country where most of your audience is from, helps to make things faster.”

Also, a virus/bug once identified must be immediately removed forever. As far as misuse of customer’s information like credit card number or bank account is concerned, it is up to the payment gateway to ensure that it stays confidential and well protected.

The good news is that the majority of these common hiccups normally occur at the teething stages. So worry not; as you master the tricks of the trade, you will have more customers clicking at your doorstep!

*Photo credit: miguel ugalde

By Nisha Salim

At the workplace, as in any social setting, a certain amount of teasing occurs naturally. But when it becomes insistent and repetitive, causing severe stress to the target, it crosses over to the line of bullying.

Premilla D’Cruz and Ernesto Norohna, Organizational Behaviour professors at IIM Ahmedabad, had conducted a study on workplace bullying among the ITeS employees in India, in 2010. The findings reveal without a doubt that bullying does exist at the Indian workplace. According to the survey, “A range of bullying behaviours were described including isolation, personal attacks, verbal threats and task-related difficulties.”

Premilla D’Cruz, who also authored the book Workplace Bullying in India, says that while workplace bullying does exist in our country, it is hard to determine the extent of it in the absence [...]]]> Bullying might not stop at high-school; how does one handle bullying when it continues into adulthood and follows you to your workplace? 

By Nisha Salim

At the workplace, as in any social setting, a certain amount of teasing occurs naturally. But when it becomes insistent and repetitive, causing severe stress to the target, it crosses over to the line of bullying.

Premilla D’Cruz and Ernesto Norohna, Organizational Behaviour professors at IIM Ahmedabad, had conducted a study on workplace bullying among the ITeS employees in India, in 2010. The findings reveal without a doubt that bullying does exist at the Indian workplace. According to the survey, “A range of bullying behaviours were described including isolation, personal attacks, verbal threats and task-related difficulties.”

Premilla D’Cruz, who also authored the book Workplace Bullying in India, says that while workplace bullying does exist in our country, it is hard to determine the extent of it in the absence of empirical data.

“Bullying is basically emotional abuse. It is a persistent, targeted kind of hostility or intimidation that one person or group shows to another person or group. It occurs with a certain frequency and makes the target feel powerless to defend himself or herself,” clarifies Premilla.

Anjana Verma*, a call centre team leader, is of the opinion that standing up to the bully and escalating the issue to the concerned line manager can help if the escalation procedure is robust. Anjana herself has been bullied by her own manager, which she successfully escalated to the next in line.

Bullying is basically emotional abuse. It is a persistent, targeted kind of hostility or intimidation…

So is it superiors who usually bully their subordinates?

“Most often it is the superiors who turn out to be bullies. I have also seen it the other way round where the superior is a woman and the men in her team bully her. This however, is rare,” says Anjana.

Rishita Pandey*, a middle level manager in an MNC, opines that it is better to deal with bullies tactically. She states, “Usually, a straight forward confrontation is not useful. Most bullies continue their behaviour since they are used to getting a positive response. Give them a non-routine response that will throw them off a little.” Don’t let the bully know that you are afraid or intimidated by his aggression.

Premilla agrees that bullies can be handled effectively, “If you have a supportive top management and HR who are willing to take up the issue and fight it through.” The other option, she adds, is, “To quit or look for another job. This may not seem like the ideal solution, but mostly people have no choice but to quit unless they have a highly supportive top management.”

Premilla narrates an incident where an entry level BPO employee was bullied by the team leader. The victim was given tasks that did not match his skillsets and then criticised for poor performance. The team leader also spoke poorly about the victim on the work floor within earshot of others, thus humiliating the victim. This issue was escalated to the team leader’s superior during a skip level meeting. The senior managers viewed the issue with some seriousness and appropriate action was taken.

When your line manager himself is the bully, the situation becomes complex because, “There is a lot of collusion between your superiors and other managers,” reminds Premilla. Usually, the victim is transferred to a different team where the chances of work-related bullying are minimized. Unless there is extensive evidence about bullying behaviour and complaints from other employees, there is little likelihood that the bully will be terminated.

Are women bullied more than men?

Both Anjana and Rishita agree that women are more susceptible to being bullied because they are generally perceived as the weaker sex.

“It is really difficult to look at this through the lens of gender,” says Premilla. She elaborates, “It is hard to say whether women are more susceptible to getting bullied than men because it is context-specific and culture can play a role. In a patriarchal society, women may experience greater gender-based harassment; but they may not perceive it that way because they often take some level of unfair treatment for granted.”

So far, there is no legislation to prevent workplace bullying in India. But there are internal policies in place in most companies.

How can you handle a bully at work?

Remember that bullying has more to do with the bully’s own insecurities than about what you do.

By recognizing that it is the bully that has the problem and not you, you regain control of your own feelings. Embarrassment, shame and fear are all normal reactions, but remember that these emotions are often misplaced and that is how all abusers control and silence the victims.

By recognizing that it is the bully that has the problem and not you, you regain control of your own feelings.

Record everything in a journal. Learn about your company policies regarding bullying and prepare to take action.

Have a backup plan in place. You may even want to look for another job, because when you have the security of a backup job, you feel more empowered to face the situation.

When you discuss the issue with senior management, provide ample evidence. Be prepared for the eventuality that you may have to quit.

Dealing with a bully can be tough. Limit the damage as early as you can, and get out of the company if they are unable to protect their employees.

*Names changed on request.

*Photo credit: Tim Caynes (Used under the Creative Commons Attribution License)

By Jaya Narayan

Leaders are expected to deal with challenge and adversity. Some situations that you may face as you rise up the hierarchy may include downsizing, mitigating business conflicts, re-structuring teams, shutting down offices and / or expanding turfs. Prameela Kalive, Senior Vice President at Zensar Technologies states, “For me being powerful is a state of mind”.

Position, charisma, relationship, information, expertise are sources that yield power. Being comfortable with power may require you to deal with your innermost fears. The need to be popular, not wanting to be singled out, being misunderstood or losing relationships may be the unintended consequences you need to work with.

Do men exert power differently compared to women at work? According to Krishna M, Senior Director in a multinational organization, “In my experience the key [...]]]> As a woman, are you able to embrace ‘power’ as you move up the hierarchy? Some tips to handle power with ease!

By Radhika Raheja

Media is supposed to play a constructive role in our society. But ask women journalists about their experiences and they’ll narrate gory details of how chauvinistic bosses can be. Working for a media organisation may seem all fun, but if you’re a woman, the journey may not be as gratifying as you might have imagined.

Those who report by brute strength

Journalists must be tough guns (read men), or so it is believed by the some in the industry. It was the winter of 2004 and I had convinced a not-so-hot-shot editor at a newspaper that I would make for an excellent intern. Four weeks on, after countless efforts of filing worthless stories, I decided it was time to give up. “Sir, I was hoping to work on a more challenging story, something serious perhaps,” [...]]]> The existence of gender bias even in a ‘progressive’ industry like journalism is surprising and deplorable.

By Radhika Raheja

Media is supposed to play a constructive role in our society. But ask women journalists about their experiences and they’ll narrate gory details of how chauvinistic bosses can be. Working for a media organisation may seem all fun, but if you’re a woman, the journey may not be as gratifying as you might have imagined.

Those who report by brute strength

Journalists must be tough guns (read men), or so it is believed by the some in the industry. It was the winter of 2004 and I had convinced a not-so-hot-shot editor at a newspaper that I would make for an excellent intern. Four weeks on, after countless efforts of filing worthless stories, I decided it was time to give up. “Sir, I was hoping to work on a more challenging story, something serious perhaps,” I beseeched. A roar of laughter echoed in the newsroom and I heard a sentence I would probably never forget in this life: “Every girl wants to be Barkha Dutt these days.” Needless to say, the opportunity of writing something worthwhile never came the little girl’s way.

Why do you even want to be a journalist? You think you can run around for a story like a man can?

After what seemed to be hardly a worthy experience to remember, the internship concluded, but not without its lessons. His exclusive wisdom for me came pouring down at the end. It seemed as if the grey haired man couldn’t contain his emotions anymore. Why do you even want to be a journalist? You think you can run around for a story like a man can? Imagine getting threat calls or being stalked. Just pick something convenient for yourself that you can keep pursuing after marriage. You’re such an emotional person; harsh news isn’t right for you, you should consider teaching – I strongly believe women make good school teachers.

Fortunately, I learnt my lesson the hard way. I made a decision that day; I wasn’t going to be treated like a second-class citizen. I knew that if I wanted to survive in this industry, I would have to fight my way up.

A paper’s party piece

In the last few years, a large chunk of female students who major in journalism lock up their dreams of bringing out the truth and doing social good and end up settling down for parallel streams. The hands of the news industry aren’t tight with just political and economic reports anymore. Lifestyle, fashion and gossip form big news for the media today. Shockingly, gender influences this part of the industry as well.

The most glamorous part of a lifestyle paper is its Page 3. Adorned with pictures of suave men, chic women and trendy society parties, Page 3 has all the limelight anyone would need. You’d think how fabulous a Page 3 reporter’s job is. Meeting all the important people and enjoying the lovely parties as your very job, what’s not to like, right? The reality however is not as rosy. Remember Konkana Sen Sharma’s character in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Page 3?

Page 3 is of such high value today that it is imperative for publications to plan it strategically. If you are a woman fashion enthusiast with a knack for communication, newspapers would be happy to have you onboard. It is a common belief in the industry that pretty female faces find it easy to befriend important persons, which naturally makes Page 3 coverage absolute. While there’s nothing wrong in being a Page 3 reporter, do it for too long and you’d be tainted as a reporter who does nothing more than attend parties. Not a good feeling for serious reporters, is it?

Reporter by the day

If you are a working woman in the National Capital Region, this one wouldn’t surprise you one bit. The city that shamefully remains the rape capital as well has made work life doubly strenuous for women. With recent incidences of crimes against women journalists, even media companies are becoming increasingly conscious of whom they hire. Forget about competition and lack of credentials, you could simply lose an opportunity because you live some 50km away from the office. Women travelling back home late in the night is not just a strain for their families, but organisations as well.

With recent incidences of crimes against women journalists, even media companies are becoming increasingly conscious of whom they hire.

Media does come with its own baggage of responsibilities, which not all people have the strength to fulfil. However, women who fight their way up in journalism are indeed valued. But with the condition of crime in the city, women have only two options, either pick a profession that lands you home well before the sunset, or move to a city more female friendly. The bias doesn’t always come from an organisation; it may be a result of a situation. As far as the media companies are concerned, losing a good resource to crime remains one of their worst nightmares.

Kofi Annan once said, “Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance”. I say, gender equality is a state of mind. In an industry that preaches about liberty, human rights and expression, inequality on the basis of gender is simply duplicitous.

*Photo credit: woodleywonderworks (Used under the Creative Commons Attribution License)