THE LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK by Theresa Cahill Copyright 2004 All Rights Reserved When I was in the second grade, I was invited to a birthday party. I remember this particular party because the boys' mother had purchased and wrapped individual parting gifts for each child. They weren't labeled. You just reached into a pillow case, with your eyes closed, and pulled out a gift that became your own. Mine was very special. I dearly loved it. Maybe you're old enough (or young enough) to remember the Little Golden Books? They were very thin, heavily bound, almost but not quite a paperback, and had gold leaf trim. My special parting gift was The Golden Book of Manners. What a great book! All sorts of animal friends invited to a birthday party. How to say hello to those who'd invited you, and thank you for all manner of things that happened. How to make sure everyone invited had a good time and was not left out. And, especially, to remember to thank everyone as you left. I wish I still had that book, but it's imprinted on my brain I'd read it that many times. I can still see the elephant in his birthday dress suit and all manner of party-ready animals. Yep, I wish I still had that book. I'd be giving it away, and I know who I'd give it to... Never was a total lack of these basic manners more evident for me than today. Today we went all out. We've been in our new home in Las Vegas now for six months. We've been busy knocking down popcorn ceilings, sanding, mudding, texturing, painting. We've fixed the most outrageous problems (the previous owner fancied himself an electrician (!) oh yeah). And slowly but surely our 1979 house is entering the 21st century. After six months we were finally ready for our first dinner guests; a couple who'd extended my husband special courtesy as we'd hunted for our new home and sold our old, many miles away. They put him up for the night several times, fed him and were just wonderful. We wanted to say, "Thank You!" And, for me, I'd be meeting them for the first time. We planned a week in advance and they agreed to come. They even offered to bring the dessert. So what happened? Around 4 o'clock we call just to make sure everything is on. At this point, our "mister" dinner guest turns out to be 100 miles away and won't be anywhere near leaving for home until six, with an hour and a half drive back to the Vegas area. Not a problem we say, we look forward to them arriving. The fact that it was even Friday had completely slipped his mind. Not a problem, we understood. Everyone gets busy. Sometimes I have trouble remembering what day of the week it is, too. All we asked is that they let us know when they arrived back in town; we needed to give them directions to our home. And yes, he clearly stated they were coming. Six o'clock comes and goes. We figure he (and she?) are on the road - no call saying they aren't, they've been delayed. No call at all. Seven rolls around, 7:30 - when they were due in - no call. 8:15 rolls around, 8:40 rolls around - still no guests. Our family ate, sans guests, at 9:00. I started thinking about that Golden Book of Manners. Why in the world wouldn't they at least radio (they could) or call? After mulling over many different scenarios the one most likely is... A simple case of truly bad manners. A phone call. Would it have killed them to call? This couple surely needed to attend the party I was graciously invited to back in the second grade... and given that Golden Book of Manners! Okay, so what does this have to do with anything you're into? Well... Do you market online? Your website needs to reflect these same simple principles. Call it The Golden Book of Good Website & Marketing Manners. If your online goal includes any type of customer service, keep these simple manners in mind. Say welcome and thank you and treat your visitors with respect and kindness. Don't spend hours and hours, months and months building your website and advertising your business if you plan to leave your copy of The Golden Book of Manners on the bus. People online need to be treated as your very most important guest - yes the full-out VIP treatment. They don't know you from Adam, but may just be willing to trust what you're telling them. They trust that after money changes hands you will be there - possibly through thick and thin - to ensure they receive what they paid for. Common courtesy, the Golden Rule, and your Little Golden Book of Manners. Want to be successful? Just keep that Golden Book open at all times. It's amazing what common courtesy can do for you :) I wonder if they'll call tomorrow... ========================================= ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads (http://www.mywizardads.com) and would like to offer you two fr'ee reports: "Just the Basics... Please" and "How to Get the Most from Your Ezine Subscriptions" http://www.mywizardads.com/basics.html, both written in pdf format.