The Protocol Post - April 2010

April 2010

Greetings! As a native Floridian, I have grown up around orange trees. Over the years, I have learned that most fruit trees are pruned in the dormant season, after leaves have dropped and before blossoms appear. The goal in pruning a fruit tree is to create a structure that allows light into the center of the tree and to strengthen branches that bear the weight of the fruit.

Like fruit trees, our businesses need pruning occasionally. If your business is dormant, now's the perfect time to explore new possibilities, invest in yourself, and do what's necessary to strengthen your business and interpersonal skills.

In an effort to prune my business skills," I will be attending the 39th Annual American Society of Journalists and Writers Conference on April 24-25 in New York City. The conference, which brings together writers from all nonfiction specialties, will offer seminars to help me sharpen my writing, marketing and technological skills.

When I return from the conference, I will put the finishing touches on my proposal for my second book. It's still too early to reveal the title but I promise to let you know more details later this year.

I encourage you to use this time to brush up on your public speaking or social networking skills. Better yet, use this extra time to network and reconnect with friends and clients. I'm glad that we're connected and I hope you enjoy this month's newsletter!

Dedicated to YOUR success,
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Ten Steps to Better Listening

There's an old saying, attributed to Calvin Coolidge: "Nobody ever listened his way out of a job." Listening is a vital skill -- not just in sales, but in any field. In my book, Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work, I have listed ten steps to better listening:

Ask pertinent questions. Asking questions demonstrates a sincere interest in the other person, and it's the hallmark of a good listener.
Practice empathic listening. Put yourself in the other person's shoes with the intent of understanding versus replying (can't you always tell when someone's just waiting for his or her turn to talk?).
Listen with your entire body. Nod occasionally, make eye contact and, with permission, take notes.
Share personal stories. Stories are a powerful way to break down barriers and build relationships.
Paint a visual picture. This helps you relate with the speaker and remember their story later on.
Don't interrupt. Whether we realize it or not, we interrupt to demonstrate we understand. Don't.
Pause before you reply. Don't be afraid of silence--it's like white space on the page.
Eliminate distractions. Turn off or away from anything that distracts you from the speaker, and you'll earn his or her admiration and respect forever.
Speak with a purpose. We hang onto the words of those who save their words until they have something to say.
Don't give unsolicited advice. As tempting as it may be, save your advice for those who ask--or better yet, pay--for it.

Top Grooming Tips for Men

A few months ago, I watched an episode of Oprah where Project Runway mentor and Liz Claiborne chief creative officer Tim Gunn revealed the ugly truth about men's fashion faux pas. It was interesting to learn that while most men want to look attractive, they don't always put in the time and effort to do so.

Just as a topiary needs to be frequently trimmed, so does a man's body. More guys are embracing the idea of "manscaping" - shaving or waxing hairy parts of their body in order to appear more attractive, reports ABCNews.com.

Manscaping is big business. At Townhouse Spa in midtown Manhattan, owner Jamie Ahn says that her male clientele has more than doubled in the last year. Most of the men she sees, who are in their 30s to 50s, usually ask to have their eyebrows, back, shoulders and "sometimes their undercarriage" waxed.

Little research has been done on male body depilation, but a 2005 study published in the journal Sex Rolesfound that 64 percent of 118 men at the University of South Florida trimmed or removed body hair below the neck to be hygienic and attractive.

Good grooming includes more than just shaving. So here are some other points to consider if you want to look as polished as possible.

Wear cologne sparingly. Target just the pulse points on the wrists and behind the ears. Don't let your smell precede or follow you. If someone can smell you before you enter a room or as you walk down a hallway, you're probably wearing too much cologne.

Don't forget to moisturize. A lightweight moisturizer with a SPF should be applied daily to your face and neck to replenish water content, soothe skin, and provide protection from the elements.

Dirty, uncut nails are a turn-off. Get over any reservations you may have about manicures and pedicures. They're not just for women anymore. Treat yourself to this little luxury every once in a while.

Dry shaving is bad for your skin. Shave during or after a shower when your beard is softest. Use shaving gel and a clean razor and take short strokes. Don't let your nose and ear hair get out of control. Use small grooming scissors to keep those stray hairs away.

Tame excess facial hair. Don't let your beard achieve mountain-man proportions. If you insist on sporting a beard, shave just up to the jaw line to create a look that's neat, yet effortless.

Don't allow your body hair to run wild. Unless you're a hermit and have no contact with the outside world, don't let yourself resemble a woolly mammoth. There comes a point when a jungle of hair needs to be pruned back. Invest in a trimmer with adjustable settings or pay for a professional wax job. If you're a do-it-yourself-guy, Nair® for Men is great for a hairy chest and back.

Jacqueline's Favorite Things

Before overnight guest arrive, spritz the bed linens with Jo Malone's Lino Nel Vento Scent Surround Spray. Utterly delightful, this spray infuses a relaxing bouquet of lavender.

If you like a light fragrance, you'll love Amazing Grace, philosophy's best-selling spray fragrance for women. It was created to make a woman smell amazingly clean and beautifully feminine.

Your beauty necessities have never been so accessible. Whenever I travel I take along my Vera Bradley Hanging Travel Organizer. It's got a place for all my lotions, powders and sprays. This makes a great gift for the college grad.

Every writer should own a good pen and my favorite is this Sheaffer Agio Frosted Pink Fountain Pen. I love the color, the fine tip and slim design.

Webinar of the Month

Health Spa

How to Make a Profit Speaking at Department Stores, Tea Rooms and Health Resorts

To thrive in the etiquette and image business, you must think creatively and go where your competitors don't go. Unique venues such as department stores, tea rooms, hotels and health resorts are great places to offer training programs.

Join me as I reveal the tips and tools necessary to create new opportunities for yourself and increase your revenue stream during these tough economic times. During this one-hour, interactive webinar, I will cover:

Whom to contact
What to charge
How to write an effective proposal
What programs are most popular
When to charge a fee versus when to barter for services
And more

DATE: Tuesday, April 27, 2010
TIME: 3:00pm - 4:00pm (Eastern Time)
PRICE: $60.00, includes a downloadable recording of the live event.

Can't attend the webinar? You may still purchase a link to the recording for $60.00. To purchase, click here:

You may also register by phone: (561) 586-9026 or email Jacqueline.

NOTE: To ensure the highest quality, this webinar is limited to 15 participants.

Would You Like Me To Be Your Personal Coach for One Year?

Are you interested in taking your etiquette and image consulting business to the next level? Are you tired of making decisions by yourself? Would you like to have your own personal coaching team to help you be the very best that you can be?

If you answered, "Yes," to any of these questions then you may want to consider joining my very exclusive mastermind group, The Consultants' Connection.

The Consultants' Connection is a group that I founded four years ago with the intent to help etiquette and image consultants grow their business and fulfil their personal and professional goals and dreams.

The Consultants' Connection is limited to 20 consultants to ensure that you get the most personalized attention. We meet the third Wednesday of every month at 8pm - 9pm Eastern time to discuss steps and strategies to grow our businesses. Every other month, I invite guest experts and authors to speak to our group about various subjects including marketing, writing, social networking and more!

If you'd like my support as well as the camraderie of all the other successful members in the group, please join! The membership fee is just $479.00. As an extra incentive, if you join by April 30, 2010 you will:

Receive 14 months for the price of 12.
Be able to participate in my webinars at half price.
Most importantly, have access to my coaching services all year long at no extra charge. This is a savings of $250.00 per hour!

To become a member, click here to join.