Whether you greet your customers personally or on the phone it's always a good idea to know them by their name.

If you don't know their name, simply ask them. You may say in response, "that’s a lovely name!" or "How do you spell that so that I can remember it?"

There is a big difference between saying “oh you", "hello sir", "hello madam" compared to “hi Jack" or "hi Jane, how are you?" There is something very special about being referred to by your name. Your customer will know that you are addressing them and them only.

This is a very powerful communicational marketing tool that you can use with your customers at all times.

When we send out Christmas cards to our customers we always make sure that we include our customer’s name and that we spell it correctly. We also include leaflets on any current promotions that we are doing and guaranteed we get a good customer response rate.

So always spell your customer’s name correctly. Ask your customer how they spell their name, check it with them and spell it correctly every time. On your customers invoices, Christmas cards, birthday cards, promotional materials, or whatever it may be. Get this right and you will be pleasantly surprised by the impact it has.