It Begins with Please and Doesn’t End with Thank You
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It Begins with Please and Doesn’t End with Thank You

Transforming Business Etiquette into Sales Performance

Edwin P. Baldry
River Grove Books, 2021
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8

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Today, proper etiquette seems to be waning, and disrespect is in vogue. Many people, for example, immediately call new acquaintances by their first names, not by Mr., Mrs. or Ms. Or people thoughtlessly interrupt in-person meetings or even face-to-face conversations to take phone calls. If you treat prospects poorly, you’ll never sell them anything, asserts author Edwin P. Baldry. He offers a how-to guide to raise salespeople’s awareness and their courtesy skills by updating yesterday’s civilities and explaining how good manners empower sales. 

Summary

What happened to good manners?

Today, efficiency and ever-increasing urgency seem to outweigh good manners, gratitude, consideration and respect. Few people seem to care about genuine human connection. Instead, they prefer impersonal text messages and social media.

With high-tech devices handling every communication, it’s easy to forget that living, breathing human beings are at the other end of every exchange. In today’s social media universe, where mediated communication replaces human intimacy, much of the world seems to have set aside “please” and “thank you.” This courteous entreaty and grateful acknowledgment are the essence of politeness, correct manners and reciprocal goodwill. Do they still have a place in our fast-paced, mediated world?

Asking why politeness and good manners matter is like asking why water is wet. Being polite to others is the proper way for human beings to behave. Demonstrating good manners is an essential element of the social contract. Yet, for many people, simple good manners no longer matter or even come to mind. Lacking...

About the Author

Edwin P. Baldry, a pioneer in the financial-technology sector, is the co-founder and CEO of EPBCOMMS, LLC.

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