Magic words still work

Remember when you were a kid, or when you were raising kids, you had “magic words” to use to show respect and appreciation?

Remember “please” and “thank you”?

Sadly, many grown-ups in business have forgotten how to use these magic words.

As a customer, do you feel appreciated when you choose to spend your money at a certain store or with a particular business?

As a business owner, have you trained your team to use those magic words, to show appreciation and respect to your customers?

Most of the exchanges these days seem to consist of “have a good day,” or the shortened, “have a good one.” When you are handed your receipt in a retail store, you’ll probably hear a hearty “there you go.” What do those words express to a customer?

Wishing them a pleasant day is nice, of course. But, even nicer, is making the customer feel appreciated and respected.

Is it easier to say “there you go” than “thank you”?

There you go … 3 syllables.

Thank you … 2 syllables.

So, doesn’t “thank you” take less effort? It certainly carries greater weight! Think about the warm fuzzy feeling you get when you hear those words. That’s the feeling your customers want too!

When did “there you go” become an acceptable replacement for “thank you”? Who knows? Now is certainly the time, though, to retrain staff to say those precious and powerful two little magic words: thank you. Thank you for your business. Thank you for choosing to spend your money here. Thank you for deciding to do more business with us because you now feel like a valued customer.

Two little syllables — two little words — carry tremendous power in your customer communications.

Try it. Let me know how it works.

Thank you for reading.