In one of his daily sales tips, author Jack Falvey, founder of “MakingTheNumbers.com,” wrote “Common courtesy isn’t very common.”
Falvey went on to say that by “taking the time to smile, opening doors for others, signaling lane changes, letting people cut into traffic lines, waving to say thank you, signaling trucks they have room to turn, and doing all the things that make us uncommon people, we operate at an uncommon level of courtesy. Most of the time, we are rewarded with an uncommon level of income.”
G.L.U.E.
As we all know, it is often the little things that add up. In order to focus on the “big thing” (i.e., sales objectives), we must often engage in many “little things” (i.e., behavior habits) that will help us stand out and ultimately achieve our goals.
One approach to this is the concept of G.L.U.E., which involves “giving little unexpected extras.” This concept isn’t new. Its origin is in a creole word “lagniappe,” which dates back to the 1800’s and which means “the additional gift.” It’s that something extra that is added for good measure.
Data and experience have proved that these little extras are generally not monetary, but rather little items or actions that show others “we care” and that we “appreciate” them as well as their business. They might include the free coffee in a hotel lobby, a piece of chocolate presented with a restaurant’s after-dinner bill, a sincere please or thank you, a key introduction, a referral, and so on…
A good exercise in self-assessment might be to ask, “Are we giving our customers something to talk about? Something to share on social media?What “little extras” might help our business stand out in a me-too world in which products and services are often “commoditized” by buyers?”
“Are we doing the little things that can make a big difference?”