Greeting someone you know is a vital part of courtesy and goodwill. All societies have some form of greeting. They are basic to civilized interaction. Every greeting and introduction is an opportunity to demonstrate respect for others and to create a favorable impression of yourself to others.
Stand up when you meet someone. When you’re greeting new people, do so face-to-face. It’s just polite and shows respect. It means that you consider them important enough to change your physical position for them. It also helps you to make eye contact. It’s also important to make introductions even when you’re not certain of precisely how it should be done in that situation.
Most people can relate to the feeling of entering an unknown social situation and feeling unsure of how to act or what to say. Take the initiative when your meet other people. As soon as you approach people you don’t know or are approached by them, say who you are. Don’t stand around as if someone else is in charge of introductions. Approach the person you’re greeting and extend your hand. You’ll come across as confident and assertive, not aggressive. Don’t wait for the other person to take a lead.
Some situations call for a more formal greeting. The verbal greeting is generally the same, “Hello Mr. Johnson” or “How do you do Ms. Lockhart?” The formality of the situation is generally marked by the nonverbal cues accompanying the verbal greeting. Formal greetings are characterized by first what is said – use “hello” rather than “hi” or certainly “hey”. The tone of voice and posture should also be considered. These greetings tend to be rather brief, but should always be pleasant and genuine.
Include a statement about who you are and what you do. Be confident about who you are and what you do. This often sparks interest and opens up a fruitful conversation. The client or the business prospect is more important than others. This is where you want to focus your attention. When you make other people feel important they’ll want to do business with you.
It is important to keep a positive attitude, no matter what the outcome of the sale is. Use appropriate greeting terminology when greeting customers, don’t ever use slang words, keep it on a professional level. Sales engineers should make the customer feel welcome, and always ask how can I help you? Shake hands and keep smiling throughout the sale, make steady eye contact with the customer. This will make the customer feel like that their needs are being met.
Pay attention to names when you are meeting and greeting. If you concentrate and repeat the name as soon as you hear it, you stand a better chance of remembering it later. Your goal within the first few minutes of meeting and greeting other people is to make them feel comfortable and to put them at ease so they will want to do business with you.