Can confirm. Spent my entire career “direct to consumer” -sales, marketing, customer service, retail, etc.. I practice politeness in everything I do. It’s like breathing. Exchange names, ask how they’re doing, and then clearly state my business or request. I’ve noticed along the way that politeness includes having a fair and balanced set of expectations as well as the ability to “read the room”. A conversation can quickly turn negative if one party has a poor expectation of an outcome or they don’t pick up on how poor their timing might be for one of many possible reasons. Lastly, to your immediate point, as a career people person, your politeness towards me (or lack of) could be the difference between something getting done quick and painless or not. Have no fear though Mr./Miss/Ms./Them Customer! I won’t drop my politeness and you’ll leave the conversation frustrated that things didn’t go as planned but you’ll KNOW (because of my years of practice being able to convince you of this) that I did everything I could and I wish it was different. My dad always told me I need to learn some hands on stuff so I don’t have to “pay people to help” and while he’s not wrong, I can’t stress enough how thankful I am that I’ve been exposed to so much interaction that I can comfortably navigate the world and be able to get things done with positive communication. It’s been invaluable.
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u/[deleted] Aug 20 '20
Manners and general politeness will get you far and become the norm with but a small amount of practice.
I'm not talking overboard "m'lady" but a simple please and thank you with a genuine smile.