October 2018 Newsletter: Respect Me…Win Me Over!

Are you showing your clients that you respect them? Maybe you haven’t asked yourself this question lately, but I doubt that you would give your business to someone who didn’t show respect to you. I know I wouldn’t.

If someone wants to do business with me, they can win me over by making me feel appreciated and showing that they respect me for doing business with them. I also want to show that I respect and appreciate them so they will look forward to doing business with me. How you treat other people will determine your success in any relationship, including your relationships with clients.

“How people treat others is a direct reflection of how they feel about themselves.”

If you want to be more effective in showing respect to your clients, I have an exercise for you. Please grab a pen and a piece of paper and write at the top: “Things I can do to show my customers that I respect them.” Then start writing down ways you can show your customers how grateful you are that they are doing business with you. When you consistently show your customers that you appreciate them, they will be much more likely to stay loyal to you.

Below are six ways you can show respect to everyone you come in contact with, not just your customers. Practice makes perfect! When you implement these suggestions and make them a discipline, they will one day become a habit and eventually become natural to you.

Respond to emails, texts, and phone calls at your earliest convenience, regardless of how busy you are. If you don’t do this, people will feel like they don’t matter to you. Not good!

Be a better listener. This may sound easy, but truly listening to the person you are talking with is one of the hardest skills to master and one of the most important. When you are listening to someone, maintain constant eye contact with them. This shows that what they have to say is important to you. You can also listen to them without expressing your own viewpoint. I am still working on this daily.

Encourage and be helpful. If you notice that the person you are talking with is not having a good day, then offer words of encouragement. Do what you can to make their day better. You were born with this God-given talent…use it.

“Don’t waste words on people who deserve your silence. Instead, use them on those who need your encouragement.”

Recognize and congratulate. If you know someone who has accomplished something that they are proud of, be sure to show them that you are just as proud. Brag about their accomplishments to other people. When you recognize someone for doing great things, it will empower and inspire them to do even greater things.

Be grateful and say THANK YOU. How will people know how much we appreciate them if we don’t thank them or show our gratitude? We don’t do enough of this in the workplace or in our daily lives. Saying “thank you” is so simple that there is absolutely no reason not to make it a habit.

Be kind. If you would like me to do business with you, then show me your kindness, not just how great your product or service is. Keep the conversation positive. If you are in the habit of making unkind remarks, chances are you should stop talking.

Have you added these six items to your list? Keep thinking of other ways to be more respectful. This type of change will not happen overnight, so make a commitment to keep improving how you treat people.

Last but not least…respect yourself! It’s okay to put yourself first sometimes and treat yourself the way you would like to be treated. Your needs and wants are just as important as finding ways to help others fulfill theirs. Once you truly respect yourself, it will be that much easier to show respect to others and win them over.