I appreciate you, I really do. You put me through college and bought me a new car, but for the love of Og listen, ok? I am not psychic. Really, I’m not.
When you walk in to the office and I stand up, smile and say hello it is then your job to introduce yourself and say why you are here. Staring at me blankly doesn’t achieve anything (except for creeping me out when you are staring at my boobs). Don’t get pissed off when I look at you funny and slowly say, “…can I help you?”
Oh, and stop getting pissed off that he can’t see you an hour before your damned appointment is set. Your appointment is at 2. Yes, it’s normal to arrive 15-20 minutes early, but when you are a full hour + early, don’t get pissed that he is still at lunch or busy with something else. And, I hate to break it to you, but cursing me out doesn’t fix this problem at all.
Sincerely,
The Secretary who you are so damned disrespectful to.
(You know, the secretary who has more of an education then you do, is the President of this company’s daughter, is also the partner in this business, oh- and I actually pay my taxes on time. Asshole.)
stpauler, I usually stand up and say, “Good afternoon,” with a big smile. Then, 95% of the people smile and say, “Good afternoon to you, too. I’m Mr. John Smith and I’m here to see Mr. Yourdad.”
It’s not like I just sit here staring blankly at the computer and roll my eyes that they DARED to bother me. I’m quite friendly, generally speaking.
That always pisses me off enough that I go up and do the “I’m Happy Scrappy Hero Pup and I’m here to see Mr. DiosaBellissima.”
Failing that, I suppose you could always play “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions” with them.
Or speak Anne-Heche-Celestia language.
Or a dozen other fun things.
What am I supposed to do when I enter an office? I’m always embarassed to just start explaining because sooner or later the wrong person is there, or I’m in the wrong place, or someone’s just finishing something and doesn’t want to be interrupted. I know I’m being too reticent, but people who go the other way get pitted plenty too. This isn’t a criticism of you, I know how annoying it is when people are unhelpful like that, but I’m genuinely unsure.
Shade- I am the secretary. We have a reception area where you walk in and I am the only person. My dad’s office is in the far back and they cannot see it. It’s not like they are walking into an office with a million cubicles (is that even spelled right?). Maybe you were thinking I was talking about a bigger office.
Perhaps it’s just me, but when I walk into somewhere (hair salon, insurance company, car dealership, mortician, et al) I go the secretary and say, “Hi, I’m here to see soandso.”
In my defense, I get along with most of the clients, some are just…different. The guy who spawned this rant yesterday didn’t reply because he was staring at my chest. Classy.
**Happy Scrappy Hero Pup ** I think I’m going to try doing the Anne Hache thing, that can’t possibly upset my dad.
I think this is one of those situations where even though YOU fully understand what is expected, the people you deal with obviously do not. Rather than butting heads with them, change your routine to incorporate how they typically react.
“Hello, how can I help you?” “Hello, are you here to see Mr. DB?”
This is something important to learn. If people are not living up to your expectations, see what you can change in your own actions to help them meet expectations.
Feh. That reeks of defeatism.
If these people are too stupid to know what’s expected of them, give them visual cues.
Like a velvet rope and a red carpet- the carpet will lead right up to your desk, and the rope will cordon off anything past your desk.
The sheep will shuffle up the carpet, praying all along the way that they will be good enough to be on the list. Which is where you come in. You should stand there, wearing a crushed black velvet minidress that’s half a size too small, alternating your eye positions between a clear-plastic-and-flashy-crystal clipboard and looking down your nose and sneering at the person in front of you.
They’ll trip all over themselves to stammer out their name and business, then step back and wait nervously, their entire stock of self-esteem reviewed like a moment-of-death montage of their pitiful lives while you take your sweet time looking over the clipboard, issuing disapproval of their wardrobe with your haughty gaze, then ever-so-grudgingly lift the rope just enough for their now-clammy, embarassed selves to slip by, furtively thanking the gods that they passed muster.
I say go for that approach.
I’d like to respectfully disagree (but only slightly) with this statement.
You are certainly being polite by standing up and giving a warm greeting. It is also polite of you, when you are on the other side of the desk, to state your business first. And neither you nor the clients should be entering this conversation with a slack-jawed stare.
However, I submit that it is not the client’s job but rather YOUR job, as a representative of the firm seeking to elicit business (and presumably, some sort of payment) from them, to initiate matters with a simple “Good morning, may I help you?”
My first thought on reading this thread was on how often I go up to the counter at a fast-food place*, intending to order food, and am met with stony silence, the barest of eye contact, and/or (usually at one establishment particularly) the patented Taco Bell Slack-Jawed Stare ™, rather than, say, “Welcome to Joe’s Burger Hut, may I take your order?” or even a simple “Hi, what can I get you?” I tend not to go back to places where it’s like pulling teeth to get the salespeople/counter help/clerks/whoever to assist me and take my money.
My intent is not to club you over the head and say “You’re WRONG!!!” – in my mind it’s more of a 51%-49% deal. If forced to choose one person whose responsibility it is to start the ball rolling in a business conversation, I would pick the seller rather than the buyer.
No, I don’t mean to start the usual rants about how fast-food workers are so underpaid/overworked/treated like shit that they shouldn’t be expected to be polite, so let’s not go there. It’s just an illustrative example, people. And I don’t get fast food much anymore lately anyway. I’ve lost six pounds in the past three weeks!
Happy, I like the way you think. I’d like to subscribe to your newsletter.
**Scarlett67 **- No worries, I took no offense and you are completely right- I should reach out first. It’s still fun (and necessary) to rant about, though.
**Mycroft H. ** I’m gorgeous. It’s a fact. And smart- did I mention smart? But, my best quality is how humble I am! I’ve never taken part in a photothread, perhaps I should.
