When the server at the breakfast diner
topped off your coffee this morning you said Thank You. When the sales clerk
helped you match a tie with your new suit you said Thank You. When the teenager
next door offered to walk your dog you said Thank You. After the meeting you
had the other day with a prospective client you said Thank You – OR DID YOU?
It bothers me to a certain extent that
I am writing this blog. But, I was reminded once again this week that many in
business today are lacking the basic manners that should be carried as a
professional sales person. Yesterday I received a hand-written Thank You note
from someone I met with earlier in the week. She wants to do business with my
firm and I spent 40 minutes in an initial meeting. A first time meeting that
was over in 40 minutes. She did not send a quick one sentence email saying “hey
thanks”. She took a few moments to write a Thank You note and I will remember
it.
And so you may be wondering why this
feels like a big deal to me. Well, I participated in seven meetings last week
where I was the person asked to meet. I received three Thank You notes. Of the
other four meetings, two were interviews with prospective employees. If you
think I’ll remember the hand-written note, well I’ll remember the lack of
manners even more. But, before I made the final decision to jot down my
thoughts here, I wanted to make sure I was walking the walk. I looked back over
the past month and can confidently report that I said Thank You each and every
time someone met with me face-to-face or by conference call.
It may seem trivial and you may say
not me, but use this short post as a reminder to ask yourself this question – Am I
saying Thank You every time? And if not, has it caused an issue with moving
forward in business. Oh and you may wonder why I capitalized Thank You each
time. Let those two simple words stand out, let them sink in, and make sure you
not only use these two words in business every day, make sure you mean it.
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