“MAGANDANG umaga Po!... Howdy!, it’s a beautiful day isn’t it?”
If we greet our customers with a smile, we do not only exude a good gesture to the people before us but we make them feel at ease and comfortable whether or not they buy our products or engage our services. A nice greeting can be a good start up message to a casual conversation even if it is a first encounter.
Public relation officers and marketing specialists know the value of communicating well and they usually start a conversation or deliver messages by engaging their public with a friendly gesture. Saying words of respect is also a virtue. The typical Filipino salutation or use of “po” as a matter of respect or accolade especially to elders is not really outdated and it serves its purpose well. This is a form of humbleness or politeness and it does not degrade a person saying it. I believe that it can also be a magic word.
I told my former students to just address me as “kuya” the moment they are done with their schoolings but they are used to calling me Sir even if I am in my shorts and slippers. I am one person who value name calling but such is not common in our society. In many supermarkets abroad like in the states, many elderly or those aged 60 and above were hired as greeters and all they say are “Howdy! How are you today?” This is actually a form of value adding especially if these senior men and women are in what we usually refer to as prim and proper.
Business people knew what is meant by give and take. Promotions specialists or sales promotions officers are usually observed handing out flyers with a smile to potential customers and would be buyers. Big name corporations employ well trained marketing specialists and media promo officers who plan out strategies to boost their products even if it they have to spend a sizeable amount of money just to entice people to their enterprise.
It turns me off when I encounter sales attendants that give sarcastic looks, ignore a product related inquiry and do not look at you at the eye.
A courteous guard, food handlers wearing hair nets and aprons, a prompt cashier that gives receipt and exact change... all these signify good traits that entrepreneurs in the sales industry must observe.
I like bread and baked products of a hopia factory along General Luna Street in Baguio City but it really turns me off when the owner-cashier drops my change on the counter table for me to pick up coin after coin. This did not happen once or twice and the lady seemed to find glorification seeing her customer picking up the coins that she drops. I think she robs her customer of the courtesy that they deserve and this led me not to step in that bakeshop again.
Managers and owners of business establishment must act as customer relations officer.
One need not have to take a crash course on Human Resource Management or Hotel & Restaurant Management. All they need to know is customer satisfaction.
For so long as they are fair with their customers and employees and they pay their correct taxes, entrepreneurs need not have to be experts in the provisions of the fair trade law.
In Television, there is phrase we refer to as the “primacy and latency or first and last effect,” meaning you have to impress your audience at the very start of the show and sustain their thrill towards last segment of the program.
In marketing, it is wise to project a good impression by greeting customers and assisting them promptly if they need help. Too much asking might annoy customers. Commodities should be properly labeled and prize tags should be clear.
Personal grooming can project an impression for the establishment one is working.
A clean look for men and a decent outfit for women with a little makeover can set a good example of a customer friendly workplace.
I recall a satirical song that we used to sing when we were younger, it goes...”Lipistik ka nga lipistik, di ka met nag brush-your-teeth, ay ay salidummay, salidummay diway”.
The molar or moral lesson of the song is... do not face your customer if you have foul breath.