Going back to swimming for the first time in ages, I was reminded of an incident of what I can only call swimming pool rage which happened to me earlier this year.
I was trawling up and down doing my slightly-faster-than-average breast stroke, when I came up behind a substantially slower male swimmer. Now, it is unwritten rule in our pool that if a faster swimmer comes up behind, you wait at the end to give way to them; needless to say he didn’t. I carried on for a few lengths, hoping he would get the hint. When he failed to do so I decided to take action and cut my own length short so I could move across in front of him.
I must say, at this point, that I in no way cut him up; when I moved in front of him I was well ahead. However, he was obviously highly annoyed at this and swam with all his might to catch me up, grabbed my shoulder, hauled me out of the way, and went on ahead.
I couldn’t believe it! Had the lifeguards seen? Would they say anything, being that I was partially dragged under? Needless to say they either didn’t see or chose to ignore it.
The man carried on swimming, as did I, and that was that.
Now there is a point to this tale. If I had met that man in the course of business, would he have treated me like that? Of course not. In fact, he was probably the sort to let the “little woman” go first through a doorway.  Although I don’t know him, however, I would recognise him again and if he ever crossed my path I wouldn’t dream of having any dealings with him.
So the moral is really about manners and how to treat people. Be on your best behaviour, like the Charles Kingsley character in the Water Babies, Mrs Do-as-you-would-be-done-by. You never know who you might be meeting.
The same rules apply to writing; make a good impression with your words and you will reap the rewards. Send letters, newsletters and emails with grammar and spelling as poor as the manners of the man in the pool and you may turn potential clients off for good.