Many of us have the rude habit of looking at the time in our wristwatch when we are bored, annoyed or irritated by somebody delivering a speech or just plain conversing with us. This rude habit unfortunately is not easily discarded. On the contrary, as we got older, this habit becomes more visible and more frequent if we do not correct it.

While negotiating with foreign buyers, many exporters have the bad habit of showing boredom or irritation by looking at the time in their wristwatch while the foreign buyers are talking. Unfortunately for some exporters, many sensitive foreign buyers are keen observers of this rude behavior of exporters. As a consequence, export contracts are lost.

Many of us are victims of this wristwatch syndrome. Not only exporters and other businessmen. Let’s take a look at these day-to-day incidents:

• A person while waiting in a restaurant for somebody keeps looking at his watch;

• A shopper while waiting for the cashier in a department store to give his receipt and change, keeps looking at his watch;

• A student while waiting for his mother in a car keeps looking at his watch;

• A churchgoer while the preacher is sharing the Word to the congregation keeps looking at his watch; and

• A patient while waiting for his turn to be examined by the doctor keeps looking at his watch.

It is not just Filipinos who have developed the bad habit of using their wristwatches to display this annoyance/irritation to certain persons and incidents. Other nationalities are also victims of the wristwatch syndrome.

One may ask: when did wristwatch syndrome start?
Definitely not during the early times because there were no wristwatches then.

One effective way of stopping the spread of this so-called wristwatch syndrome is not to wear wristwatch at all.
However, to many of us, this is hard to comply with – especially those wearing fancy/expensive wristwatches.

A piece of advice to exporters: If you want to improve your negotiating skill when talking with your buyers, please do not keep looking at the time in your wristwatch. Buyers are human beings and not computers. They have feelings, too.
Many times we forget this.

Have a joyful day!
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Note: Last December 12, 2009, I wrote an article about Panlapu, the miracle herbal eyedrops. The response to this article is overwhelming. Panlapu is available at the following prices: 60ml – P250.00; 30ml – P150.00; and 15ml – P100.00. Please call Rey in Pasig at Tel. No. 280-5143 or call Melanie in Manila at Tel. No. 524-2982.