Angela likes to thank her customers after ringing a transaction by using their names. If she has forgotten to ask during her selling interaction on the floor, she often looks at the name on the charge card or the check. Today, when Angela finished the transaction, she looked at the check and said, "Thanks so much, Verda. I hope you enjoy your sweater."
Verda snapped, "To you, my dear, it is Mrs. Williams!"
Mrs. Williams grabbed her package and left. Confused and surprised, Angela turned to you and said, "Wow, what went wrong there? I was only trying to be more personal."
Discussion
Angela's style of thinking runs a bit toward extroversion and she obviously values personalization. These are great qualities in a salesperson. But in this case, there's a conflict between Angela's and the customer's perception of what is respectful. Angela's manager wants to take advantage of her open and friendly style while channeling some of her energy into minding the details. It's still possible to be an effective salesperson without giving up the personal touch.
Angela could have avoided the awkward situation with Mrs. Williams by asking her name when she made first contact. Using the name off a check or credit card loses the personal touch that was intended. If asked, customers will tell you how they want to be addressed. Her manager should talk to Angela regularly and even help her practice an approach script, a pattern to use with customers that routinely asks for their names early in the process.
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