Business Perspective: The power of courtesy

In business it does not matter whether the client who has just walked in to buy your services is buying in millions or in cents, they are all clients and are kings/queens- and they both deserve to be treated with respect and be shown some courtesy. I once was with my mother and her brother who lives in USA and has a handcraft shop. So on his last day in Kigali we went to town to buy crafts which he was to take with him. We had so many errands to run that by the time we realized the time it was a few minutes to five. We rushed to one of the famous craft shops in downtown Kigali. When we got there the lady attendant was closing doors to the shop. We begged for her to open the doors so that we could buy some items. She totally refused until when my uncle told her that he will not be able to come back the following day to buy what he wants because he was flying out the same night. On hearing this, the lady very rudely said that she can only open the shop if we were to purchase items worth ten thousand francs. We looked at the lady and it was like watching a live comedy show. Here we had come to buy things worth almost a million and she was talking of ten thousand? All the while looking at us like dirt, to this date my mother has never gone back to that shop to buy her brother craft items that he needs from Rwanda. But then the question is, does it mean a client who buys less deserves to be treated any different?Business courtesy is a very important act of expression in a business setting. Overflow people with politeness and kindness. Use your words generously to everyone around you. To be courteous is to be liked and remembered, these are two things that every business wants; because nobody will take their money to a place they dislike or couldn’t remember anything good about it. When one is courteous in words and in actions they generate a positive force that everyone will be attracted to. People are always attracted by positive energy like a moth to a flame and your etiquette will be the generator and motivator for people to come to you. When people go to buy services and are met with rude employees, a lot of time is wasted and most of the time clients do not come back for the services. It costs nothing to say “good morning” or “goodbye” or a quick “Have a nice day” takes virtually no time and very little effort. A “thank you” note goes a long way in creating even friendship to strangers. Just because a client did not buy a million of worth of goods, does not mean they do not deserve to be told a thank you. Being courteous in business will always give that client a reason to come back for your services. Endeavour to be courteous to the people you meet and you will experience something good. kayitesius@yahoo.com