In the course of my career, I’ve had to deal with a lot of
vendors—software companies, sensor manufacturers, electronics
distributors and more. Some of them have left lasting
impressions on me, whereas others have been eminently
forgettable. I’d like to talk about two of the more memorable
vendors, and the simple technique that they used (perhaps
unknowingly) which made them stand out in my memory.
As my byline shows, I have the letters “Ph.D.” after my name;
however, I seldom use that title, except in my various writings
and official correspondence. For professional reasons, I do have
these initials on my business cards and my e-mail signature;
however, I never expect people to call me “Doctor,” and if they
do, I almost invariably insist that they call me by my first
name instead. For most of my daily affairs, this title simply
isn’t very important.
Most salespeople don’t mention this title either, which suits me
just fine; after all, I’ve always been a fairly informal fellow.
On two occasions though, a vendor actually took notice of my
degree, and chose to address me using the “Doctor” honorific.
Even though I normally eschew that title, this was still a
pleasant surprise. It was nice to see a prospective vendor take
notice of such details, however unnecessary they may be.
Any good salesman knows that building rapport and making
yourself pleasantly memorable are key elements in developing
customer loyalty. This simple, trivial act made these particular
salesmen stand out prominently in my memory, and in a pleasant
way. I’m almost ashamed to admit this, but I found that I almost
wanted to send these people some of my business—perhaps because
such deference is noticeably rare.
This simple tactic can be especially helpful when dealing with
prospective customers of foreign descent. Remember that some
cultures are more title-conscious than American society is. The
failure to mention this title may prove offensive to some of
these individuals—or at the very least, it may suggest a lack of
attentiveness. Better to err on the side of caution, I would say.
This simple technique is exceedingly trivial to use, requiring
no additional investment of time or effort. At the very least,
it can be one way to make yourself stand out from the crowd of
other vendors who are vying for someone’s attention. So why not
try it? It costs nothing, it can’t possibly hurt, and it may
just land you some new customers.
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