A little courtesy goes a long way

Back in the days before cell phones, Facebook and the Internet. Business communications were limited to Paper letteres delivered by post, phone calls or face to face visits. Back then it was considered unforgivable to ignore a phone call or to keep someone waiting if they had an appointment. Paper mail could be ignored if you wanted to end the relationship. 

Today with so many communications there are many more ways to be rude, with the same result, even when not intended. 

For example, if you were walking down the street and you see someone you know coming the opposite way, you would likely at least nod and say hello. You would not likely look away or ignore them. That would be rude. 

But if that same person sent you a text message with a simple question, you would likely not think twice about ignoring it. Likewise if they called or sent an email, most would be more likely to respond. 

If you own a small business you should be more courteous because you never know when one of those messages is an opportunity you don't want to miss. Treat all messages just like they are one of your best customers you meet walking down the street. If you do that you will build trust and loyalty. 

It will be hard. Some people are pests and can consume a lot of your time. It may come down to just asking someone to be more considerate of YOUR time. 

A little courtesy will go a long way to helping you grow your small business.