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MichaelDouglas
Special user
Richmond, Virginia
553 Posts
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Posted: Feb 24, 2012 11:55am
What is best when communicating with your clients via email or on the phone? Being more formal and respectful with Mr or Ms Jones? Or, being more relaxed and using their firstname? Does it vary according to whether you are booking a kid show vs a corporate gig? Does it vary when there is an apparent significant difference in your age compared to the client's presumed age? When I was growing up we were taught not to address an older person without a Mr. or Ms. in front of their name.
Your thoughts? Thanks --MD
www.michaeldouglasmagic.com
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magic4u02
Eternal Order
Philadelphia, PA
14876 Posts
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Posted: Feb 24, 2012 12:35pm
Michael:
Great question my friend.
Regardless if I am talking to them on the phone or via email, I will always try and use their first name (only) whenever possible. It is just more personal and something they are used to. In my day job, I am a designer for a marketing agency. We always tend to also utilize first names in direct mail marketing because of a powerful reason. Of course their are exceptions which I will talk about.
When you hear of someone calling you Mr. (Last Name), it comes off too much like soliciting. Most of the sales calls you get are someone telling you “Hi Mr. Johnson”. We have become accustomed to this. A full name introduction tends to comes off as you being farther away from the person. It states in many ways that you do not know them but are hoping to perhaps get to know them. It’s a psychological type of thing really.
However, if I hear someone call me (First Name), then I feel like I know that person already. It feels more friendly. I tend to be drawn a bit closer to the person. A first name basis always tends to mean you know a person and you are friends with them. You are used to hearing your first name from folks who know you. A first name only tends to just feel more friendly and approachable.
So as you can see, it really is more psychologically driven. The only time I may tend to utilize a full name is if I am meeting a person I have never met before live in person. I may then address them by their full name and then watch for the response back. After the initial “touch base” I can usually go to a first name basis with them. They feel comfortable with it and I have shown my respect.
But when I am marketing via either direct mail or email, I will tend to utilize a first name only. Now keep in mind that if you are using a first name only option, make sure you are using their full name elsewhere. Allow me to explain.
You must make sure that the email or the direct mail piece gets to the right person. If you have a direct mail piece that just says “Hi Mary,” then there could be several Mary’s at that given location. This causes confusion and you have lost your potential decision maker.
So what I do is for emails, I do not have to worry about it because the email IS specific to the individual. If I am sending the email to a more generic email address, I will start the email at the top with “Attention: Mary Smith”. This starts the body of my email.
If I am doing direct mail, then I will place the “ATTN: Mary Smith” right within the addressing area of the piece I am mailing to. This ensures it gets to the right person and allows me to still address the letter or the body of the information with “Hi Mary,”
So what I am doing is ensuring the piece or email gets to the right person, but still being able to utilize a first name basis approach in the actual main body copy of the piece.
It really does work and a lot can be seen just by testing it for yourself. My main goal is to establish relationships with people at every stage of the marketing journey. The faster I can establish that relationship the more chances I have of increasing my value in their eyes.
I have had many folks warm up to me much faster by using the first name only approach. When I started testing using full names for a longer duration of time (even past the introduction), then I felt that I was not connecting with them as fast as I could be.
So be smart in your approach to this and test things out for yourself. This way you can no for a fact what works best for you and in different situations you are faced with.
Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kyleandkellymagic.com
Entertainers Product Site
http://kpmagicproducts.com
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Scott Burton
Inner circle
1002 Posts
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Posted: Feb 24, 2012 1:02pm
First name. I am a business person and consider other business people to be colleagues and treated as such in a professional yet personal manner.
Corporate Entertainer and Motivational Speaker
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Dynamike
Eternal Order
20620 Posts
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Posted: Feb 24, 2012 2:55pm
In person, age does matter to me. If the person is a senior citizen I go by Mr. or Ms. unless the individual was already introduced by their first name already. I can understand using the first name helps makes a better connection, but it was like that in the past for old school individuals. I do not know if their mind is still seeking old school or not, so better safe than sorry. Especially if the magician is young, using the last name for senior citizens shows a lot of respect. When I become a senior citizen in the future (about 40 years from now) I bet everyone will be used to using first names.
Back in the past people used to write down contacts in their phone books by using the last name first. Nowadays there is a big change.
Over the phone and with email I always use the first name.
Dynamike
Oakland County Magician Macomb County Magician Wayne County Magician Detroit Magician Detroit Clown
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MichaelDouglas
Special user
Richmond, Virginia
553 Posts
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Posted: Feb 24, 2012 4:43pm
Thanks everyone. This helps helps me.
www.michaeldouglasmagic.com
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TomBoleware
Inner circle
Hattiesburg, Ms
1709 Posts
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Posted: Feb 24, 2012 9:37pm
For me, it's Mr or Ms until I get permission to use a first name.
Permission by either directly asking, or it being plainly implied in some way.
But speaking of manners and such, it scares me to think how fast the internet is taking away good manners.
It's becoming hard for us all (myself included at times) to separate the real world and the internet world.
The internet is an escape for many, a place where rules and manners don't count nearly as much as in real life. Right now, I think the two is still separated more than some may think, but they're fast becoming one.
If that makes sense.
Tom
Tom Boleware
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charliecheckers
Special user
734 Posts
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Posted: Feb 24, 2012 10:34pm
I always use first names. Being young myself, I believe it is important for me to speak in professional situations on an even platform with potential clients. While I agree proper respect is important, I believe that to connect on a personal level is not disrespectful or in poor manners, as we have become less formal as a society. This is not necessarily a bad thing by any means.
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Kevinr
Inner circle
1795 Posts
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Posted: Feb 24, 2012 10:40pm
Most pleasing word in any language?
Your first name.
Use the name it works!
www.hotauctioneering.com
Benefit Auctioneer Charity Auctioneer
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TonyB2009
Inner circle
3232 Posts
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Posted: Feb 25, 2012 10:33pm
First name.
If someone needs to be addressed by their surname, they are someone I don't need in my life.
Check out Tony's new thriller The Gilli Gilli Man at Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Gilli-Tony-Black-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B007GFD0NQ/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1363055541&sr=8-16&keywords=The+Gilli+Gilli+Man
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Al Angello
Eternal Order
Collegeville, Pa. USA
10485 Posts
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Posted: Feb 25, 2012 10:51pm
If Bill Jones contacts me I will call him Bill Jones, but if Mr William Jones contacts me I'll call him Mr Jones.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com
http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/
"Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone"
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MagicB1S
Inner circle
Unadilla New York
1027 Posts
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Posted: Feb 26, 2012 8:32am
I have to agree with AL .....
"There are Tricks To All Trades.... My Trade is all Tricks"
"An amature practices until he gets it right. A Professional Practices until he can't get it wrong"
www.Themagicchest.webs.com
bobswislosky@yahoo.com
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TomBoleware
Inner circle
Hattiesburg, Ms
1709 Posts
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Posted: Feb 26, 2012 9:04am
I too agree with Al. I think you need to look for hints before you just
assume it's ok to use the first name.
Like the saying, 'you only get one chance to make a good first impression.'
You can blow it in a hurry with someones name.
Tom
Tom Boleware
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