Keep anything religious away from your business voicemail greeting, website, and emails. Even if the message only vaguely relates to a religion, it can keep a client from calling you.
Current project is a great example
A new client wants me to find a notary in a specific distant city in the US to handle some non-loan notary work as well as some specific administration services involving client interaction with foreigners via phone. My client has clients with backgrounds diverse in culture, races, and religious beliefs.
I can see his point of view. I used to live in San Francisco and now I live 20 minutes south of Vancouver, Canada. I love diversity and I'm cool with virtually all religions.
The client wants business dealings, correspondance, and conversations completely devoid of even the most vague of religious connotations so his clients are not offended.
If the notary he hires says anything as religiously-mild as "have a blessed day" to any of his clients, he would instantly stop sending the notary any work.
Read the definition to see why at: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/blessed
During this project, I have had to eliminate some great notaries because of semi-religious messages or symbols on their voicemail announcements, websites, and/or email signatures. Correspondance and conversations with even semi-religious connotations would have insulted my client.
I understand my client's position. Here is a story of something similar that happened to me:
A local women's non-profit organization had heard of some effective strategies I used with the support of a similar group in California. The local group invited me to attend a club event with the purpose of wooing me to join.
I happily attended. They made me feel welcome. When lunch was served, one of the leaders offered a prayer of thanks.
The words used in the prayer told me that the club members' religion was not mine. The city in which the club is located includes many women of religions not matching the one in the prayer. It was clear the club only wanted women of X religion.
I decided during the prayer to not join that group.
So think carefully about your greetings, graphic icons, and well wishes on various media.
Your well-intended words and symbols could be off-putting or even offensive.
Hope this helps you! LauraV
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