In a culture where few know how to agree to disagree, most people would nod yes when you state there is a severe issue with lack of common courtesy and respect.
Etiquette and courtesy are somewhat driven by the times we live in.
Some of these 12 Breaches of Etiquette from 1896 are outdated based on our current lifestyle.
But there are a few that are evergreen characteristics of common courtesy regarded as sacred in every society.
Let’s be real. We all desire – and deserve – to be treated with respect and dignity. It is at the core of our humanness.
When we interact with a business to decide on making a purchase or investing hard-earned money into a service or product, being treated courteously should not be a concern. While we may be doing ‘business’ with a ‘business’, the reality is we are people doing business with people.
What They Could Not See
I recently presented, “Smile, Handshakes and Confidence Really Do Matter. Moving the Prospect from No to Yes”, a customized training program Market Viewpoint developed for a group of property managers.
We analyzed the results of this company’s email and telephone mystery shopping reports to find:
- 15% of the managers never responded at all to a new prospects email inquiry about their community
- 10% never addressed a prospect by name in the reply
- 63% never answered the question that was posed – they just provided cookie cutter information about the community
- 50% of the ‘new prospects’ said they would not follow through to make an appointment based on how they were treated via email and …
65% of the new prospects would not want to visit the community based on how they were treated on the telephone!
Phone call and email interactions are the primary gateways into most businesses. Your customer will not move forward to make a purchase if they feel they are not being listened to, responded to, or treated courteously.
Common courtesy makes and breaks sales.
Simply making a person feel listened to and valued as a prospect can change a No or Maybe into a Yes.
And as a manager, you should not assume that all your employees have these skills! What seems like basic common courtesy to some, is not always the case.
Interesting feedback was given from the participants in this training group when I presented the data from the mystery shops.
Most admitted their focus in these initial interactions is on making an appointment. They assumed the prospects questions would be answered in person. They did not see a reason to have the same discussion twice.
It was an eye opener for many to really see the numbers of people who would never walk through their door to get those answers!
Listening, respect, and common courtesy are the stepping stones to taking your prospect from No to Yes!
How are your company representatives doing?
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Angela can show you how professional development and etiquette training can make superstars of your employees – and increase sales! Contact her today to schedule a free consultation.