The Importance of Getting Someone’s Name Right

Sometimes when I write, it’s because I’m frustrated with things that happen.  Today is one of those days.  I seem to get bombarded with requests from strangers who do two things:

1. They are asking me to do work for them for free (write, speak, etc.)
2. They use the wrong name when they contact me.

I’m all in favor of using someone’s name when you reach out to them, especially if you don’t know the person and you’re trying to make the email or message more personal.  However, I do not have forgiveness for sales people who take the step of using my first name and then get it wrong.  This shows that I am not important enough for them to pay attention to the details in their message.  If that is the case, then I already know we would not likely make a good business partnership.

We all love to hear people use our names.  It gives the impression that we matter and that they are paying attention.  When the opposite happens and the wrong name is used, the negative effect can be far greater than had they not used the name at all.

My advice to all the sales people out there is a) only use a person’s name if you’re sure you have it correct and b) if you don’t have time to make it personal, just start your message with something like “Good Morning” or “Good Afternoon”.

Have you had this happen to you?  How have you handled those messages?  Do you reply?  Delete?  Share in the comments.