By Megan Montgomery

I recently came across an interesting conversation in a public sales forum online. The advertisement entailed a popular service being offered at a significantly low-cost. I then watched a similar business, who happened to offer the same service, begin to comment in an unethical fashion. The business asserted this popular service was not certified and did not submit to suitable training. The behavior continued for the better part of the evening. The second business owner began demanding credentials and certificates from the first, making accusatory statements and posting lists of their credentials and certificates. Needless to say I found this to be extremely unprofessional behavior.

Owning a business or offering a service requires a certain type of occupational behavior. From a consumers stand point, we like friendly knowledgeable services and quality products. Living in Chatham-Kent I love to recommend shopping and taking advantage of services offered locally. In order to maintain a successful local business there are certain professional protocols necessary to thrive, especially online! When you advertise online, it’s ok to compete. Keep in mind that if you owned a small restaurant then you would not walk in to another small restaurant and start saying how your restaurant is better qualified to feed customers. With that in mind, do not hijack another business post online, offering your service or discrediting theirs. Create your own posts and pages and offer your own daily specials and knowledge. Occasionally, recommend a product or service you don’t offer in-house. Your consumer appreciates your morality and respects you for put their contentment first.

Odds are, you put the needs of your clientele base above all else and your clientele return time and again, faithfully. When using online forums to promote your business or service always remember you are a liaison for your business and potential clients are looking for kindness as much as they are the knowledge you offer. Provide professional, accurate and current information, when it’s solicited. The internet can be an implausible instrument for your business, but remember it’s the internet, there’s always someone watching!