How Are You? How A Few Simple Words Can Make All The Difference

Today, I’m having a rough day – physically, anyways.

How are you doing? Happy? Sad?

In an extremely mundane and lifeless motion, I begin the trudge down the many stairs transcending my apartment’s stoop. Loaded to the eyeballs with Sudafed, vitamin C and a few slurps of Tylenol PM, I begin my zombie-like trek to the offices of Incept. When you are an Internet Conversational Marketing™ Expert (iCME) content isn’t gonna make itself.

About an hour into my shift, a fellow Incept employee asked me, “Brian, you ok? How are you doing?” I wanted to say, “I’m doing horrible, and I feel horrible today,” but then I thought about the real intentions of being asked that question. Someone genuinely asked me “How are you doing?” Even though it has been a physically formidable day in terms of comfort, I really appreciated that someone cared enough to ask.

Think about it. How are you? Such a simple phrase can build rapport so easily amongst many people. When I’m recruiting blood donors as a Conversational Marketing™ Expert (CME) on behalf of our clients, “How are you?” is always the first thing I ask a donor. If you work in any sort of field relating to customer service then you can understand the importance and impact that those three words can have on someone.

Asking “How are you?” is not just a way to start off a phone call either. It is an innocent question that can have many benefits in terms of providing customer service. Let’s take a brief look at those benefits:

  • Your customers will appreciate that before you ask about anything business-related that you genuinely asked how they are doing, creating positive relations right off the bat. Most people will even reciprocate and ask how you are doing too!
  • Asking “How are you?” can determine if it is a bad time to be talking with your customer or point of contact so that you can offer to call back at a much more convenient time.
  • In addition to the above point, you can also determine the tone of your customer. When you know the tone of who you are talking to you can then customize your conversation with them much more efficiently creating dialog that strengthens the relationship.

The biggest point to take away from this is that small and mannerly practices that are consistently performed are what separate your average telemarketing agency from a world-class conversational marketing firm. Asking, “How are you?” not only is a professionally mindful thing to do, but it gives your reps the real advantage of being able to quantify the fact that each customer is their own person, and each call is a new opportunity.

What are some other ways in which asking “How are you?” can be beneficial in dealing with your customers?