A Business Tool That Pays Off Big! (You already have it)
October 12, 2024
Two Very Powerful Words In Business
There is a powerful tool in business. It’s available to all business owners, all entrepreneurs, and even to all employees. And it’s completely free! It’s simple to use and requires little training. In fact we have been taught to use this tool beginning in childhood when we first learned to speak.
Every country, every culture, and every language on the planet has a form of this tool. It helps you build relationships with your customers, your vendors, and anyone you do business with, as well as your personal relationships. It can even play a large role in your success and your company’s profits. The tool I’m referring to is two words. You should speak them every time you serve your customers even if they don’t buy anything from you.
I’m talking about a simple Thank You. It can do wonders for your business.
Here is a real life illustration of the power of a well placed Thank You.
I like to have eggs for breakfast on most days. Now I like to cook but I HATE cleaning up after. I cook my eggs and eat them on a paper plate so I don’t have dishes to wash. And it was my usual habit to throw my dirty fork into the dirty dish storage device that every kitchen is equipped with. You know what I’m talking about. It usually has two compartments with a water faucet on top and a garbage disposal in the bottom. Later in the day the fork would magically disappear.
That's All It Took
One day I screwed up. I washed my dirty fork and laid it on the drying pad on the counter. Later that day my wife came up to me and hugged me and said “You really do love me. THANK YOU for washing your dirty fork this morning!” And that was it. She used those two words and now I have to wash that damn fork every morning!
Now that she thanked me for it I feel like I would be letting her down if I don’t wash it. That’s the power of a Thank You.
We're Missing It
Oddly enough this is something that a lot of business owners and their employees have been failing to do for a long time. When I was growing up I was always impressed by how anyone selling someone a product in a store or restaurant would always say thank you. When did that stop? Next time you go buy something in a store pay attention to whether or not the person checking people out say thank you. Sadly, they very often do not.
One of the jobs I had when I was in high school was in a department store. Being nice to the customers and saying thank you was part of our job. The transaction was not over until we said “Thank you”.
The Law Of Reciprocity
Why are those two words so powerful? It’s the Law Of Reciprocity. When you do something for someone they feel obligated to return the action to you. The law is used in marketing and sales every day. It also works when you thank someone. They feel respected and appreciated. It makes your customers feel good. They remember you and your gratitude. They in turn make referrals. They want to return to you to do more business and they tell others to do the same.
A Lost Art
I think there are two things that are at work here that have caused the Thank You to disappear from the business world. One is that people are just not taught to be thankful anymore. It’s part of the Lost Art of Customer Service. I once saw a woman working behind the counter at a convenience store complaining that a customer didn’t thank her for waiting on him. What!!? That seems to be a common attitude.
Another reason is likely the change in the way people buy. Personal contact in the sales process has decreased a lot. We no longer buy everything face to face. So people who do make face to face sales aren’t as aware of many customer service skills. The loss of something as simple as a “thank you come again” statement has left that point of contact feeling very impersonal. A thank you can always be delivered no matter how an object or service is sold. There is always a way. It has just become too easy to skip over it. It’s time to bring it back!
Here's to building your Financial Momentum!
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