Are you the Ritz Carlton or a Super 8?

I'm sure you've heard of the book "How to Win Friends & Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. Written in 1936, the principles are as timely today as they are then.

In the book, you'll find Carnegie's 30 principles, including: Don't criticize, condemn or complain; Give honest, sincere appreciation; and my favorite: "Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language."

Are you the Ritz Carlton or a Super 8?

The American Psychological Association had a study that showed "Having the server introduce herself by name resulted in a significantly higher tipping rate (23.4%) than when the server did not introduce herself by name." You may not be working for tips, but if you are in the business of providing a product or service to others, this finding is important to you. If you want to be of service and sell more, be sure to provide your name and use your customer's name whenever possible. If appropriate, everyone should be wearing name badges. In fact, using a customers name is part of the Ritz Carlton's "Gold Standards", so if you want to be thought of the "Ritz Carlton of..." in your industry, make sure you always use your customer's name!

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