Please, Thank You, & You’re Welcome

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(By Rick Fink) I am not sure why, as I am done raising kids, (they say you are never done) but I was allured to the title of a recent online article from Inc. magazine. The title was “Want to Raise Successful Kids? Science Says Use These 3 Key Phrases Constantly”.

After reading the short article, it was clear that these three phrases, used appropriately, can have a major impact on the success or failure of sales as well.

I’m not suggesting that some salespeople are rude while others are polite. The difference is that some are more polite than others. Even more importantly, some are more polite at opportune times than others.

The Inc. article was referencing a study published in the journal MIS Quarterly. It referred to something they called the “politeness bias”. It found that the more polite an answer was, the more likely it was rated highly and chosen as the “best answer”.

Seems obvious right?

The study did note that it’s not ironclad. If the person offering the information or opinion is perceived as an expert, that can overcome an impolite response. But all things being equal, impolite answers were less likely to be regarded as correct. This seems to confirm what we all know but not all practice, and that is, training and education are key to success.

“Please!” It works for children, “Dad, if you’ll please let me do this….”, and it can work for salespeople as well.

Like “please”, “thank you” and “you’re welcome” are words of gratitude and confidence.

A “thank you” confirms that you are expressing gratitude and you appreciate what they have done or offered you. Studies have shown that learning to be thankful and expressing gratitude leads to happiness and success in life.

“You’re welcome” acknowledges that you have done something worthy for someone else. It’s a little thing, but rather than saying, “no problem”, “it’s nothing”, or even “yep”, saying “you’re welcome” over time will build confidence and affirm that you are helping. After all, you should accept credit where credit is due.

While there are several different translations of what the phrase or expression “Mind your p’s and q’s” means, for this lesson, we will use a more traditional one of “Mind your please and thank yous”, (with the word you, pronounced like the letter Q).

So, as you head out into the sales field, remember to take appropriate advantage of your “Pleases”, “Thank Yous”, and “You’re Welcomes”.

Thank You for being a reader of “ENS on Sales”. We appreciate it. If you find these helpful, You’re Welcome!

NEVER Stop Learning – Get Better Every Day!

 

Rick Fink from ENS Media (www.ensmediausa.com) can be reached by phone at 605-310-2062 or e-mail at [email protected]

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