I was intending to share this card (picture below) as an example of exemplary customer service. But I can’t My name was messed up, and I am (mildly) pissed.

I know this is trivial. I know I am being persnickety. But it’s my name.

My experience at the Marriott hotel was perfect. Everything. They even had a welcome card waiting in my room. They nailed everything, except one presumably insignificant thing.  My name is right at the fold of the card, and was destroyed. I noticed. And your clients notice, too.

As Dale Carnegie taught us, the two most important words in the entire world are the first name and the last name of who you are talking to. If you mispronounce your prospect’s name, they notice. If you misspell your client’s name, they notice. If the crease of your card bends their name, they notice. They notice, and not in a good way.

Never forget this: the two most important words in the world are your prospect’s (or client’s) own name. Treat it like gold. Care for it. Protect it. Cherish it.