If you shop in Express or Aaron Brothers, you'll often hear a greeting that you don't get anywhere else (that I know of).
"Welcome to Express!"
"Welcome to Aaron Brothers!"
In the book, Customer Satisfaction Is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless, author Jeffrey Gitomer says this:
"Welcome! The rarest spoken word in business...also the most powerful."
Instead of forcing a customer to answer a "Hi, How are you?", saying "Welcome" puts them at ease and lets them know, that yes, you welcome and appreciate their business. An author at jnd.org received a "Welcome back" from a hotel clerk:
"'Welcome back' is nice: it signals me that I am recognized, possibly even valued."
Words do matter. How are you greeting your customers today?
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Welcome is certainly a different perception and rarely heard in western cultures.
I just returned from Thailand and guess what almost every business that I went into used a phrase that basically says welcome, and a bit more, to welcome its customers. Those who didn't offer this traditional welcome of appreciation didn’t seem to have much business comparatively.
It seems that some cultures have learned early on what we in many countries struggle with the most and that is in showing real courtesy and a genuine appreciation for our customers. Yes, there are exceptions, but not many.
Now, I agree not all customers are ideal and probably in some cases should be sent to the frozen north, but everyone deserves the basic forms of respect that I saw offered in Thailand.
Posted by: Tim Whelan | June 15, 2006 9:58 AM | Permalink to Comment