A man who studied rich people for 5 years found there are 3 aspects of etiquette they never shirk

Your table manners could have an impact on your success

'Believe it or not, most people don't know how to eat' (iStock)

Your parents may have been onto something when they stuck you in middle school cotillion class.

It turns out, the wealthiest, most successful people use simple etiquette habits to get ahead.

A five-minute phone call, for instance, could result in huge payoffs.

“You have to know how to act and how to do certain things when you’re around people,” writes Thomas C. Corley in his book “Change Your Habits, Change Your Life.” “Self-made millionaires have mastered certain rules of etiquette that help them in social settings.”

Corley would know — he spent five years researching the daily habits of 177 self-made millionaires and segmenting out what he calls “rich habits” and “poverty habits.”

What are the basic etiquette rules you should start with?

Send thank you cards. Don't send an email or Facebook message, Corley emphasises, but a physical, handwritten card.

Bring your manners to the dinner table. “Believe it or not, most people don't know how to eat,” Corley writes. But, “In the adult world of the high achievers, you need to know how to eat in social settings.”

Introduce yourself properly. This means giving a proper handshake, smiling, making eye contact, and asking plenty of questions about the other person, Corley says.

At the end of the day, “relationship are critical to financial success,” he emphasises — and building relationships all begins with proper etiquette.

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