You say customer... I say client.... 

 

Choice of words or phrases can make or break a deal!  Certain words have similar meaning but very different connotation to a client's ears.  In the example I gave above, the word client is an upscale word used in elite professions such as law, and really describes a person with whom you would have an on-going relationship with, a trusted relationship.

Customer, on the other hand, gives off a more merchant tone.  I go to the local convenience store and buy a pack of gum...I am a customer...I may never go back there again, but I am still a customer!

 

What are some other replacement words or phrases which enhance our communication skills while meeting, presenting, and negotiating with a client?

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Yes. What you say and how you say it can make or break any relationship. I was in a store the other day, the salesman said "We have a policy at our store everyone can buy whatever you want". He thought he was funny. I was totally turned off.

1) Welcome is what I personally like to hear first.

2) Welcome Rick I like even better. (relationship)

3) Refer to me as a guest, I like better than a customer, never an up.

Couldn't have been Tiffany's.....

Richard Emmons said:

Yes. What you say and how you say it can make or break any relationship. I was in a store the other day, the salesman said "We have a policy at our store everyone can buy whatever you want". He thought he was funny. I was totally turned off.

1) Welcome is what I personally like to hear first.

2) Welcome Rick I like even better. (relationship)

3) Refer to me as a guest, I like better than a customer, never an up.

Well, well... I had the pleasure of shopping for a car fo my wife a couple weeks ago and boy was I surprised! Not in a good way! I way approached in the following manners all making me "feel" like a customer. 1- What's up? 2-Can I help ya? 3- What can I do you for? 4- When are you looking to buy? It was so hard for me as a pro in our biz and someone who trains people not to be "car saleman" not to freak out on them.

Mark Twain says it best. "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."


Great quote Paul, as my dad use to say, "you show what you know, when you open your mouth".
Paul Hardy said:

Mark Twain says it best. "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."

Your dad was a wise man Dave!

David L Hoier said:


Great quote Paul, as my dad use to say, "you show what you know, when you open your mouth".
Paul Hardy said:

Mark Twain says it best. "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."

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