,

Yer Welcome!

I said, “Thank you” to a server.

Response, “No problem.”

Full stop, system crash, Reboot.

By the time I got back up, she was gone. No further communication. Not much tip, either.

When someone takes the time and effort to thank you, if you can’t acknowledge their effort, you are training them not to thank you in the future, not to thank anybody. You are training them that “thank you” can be an uncomfortable behavior.

I sell.

My work is about enlarging and improving relationships. It’s hard to work with people who have decided “thank you” is uncomfortable.

If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for me. “Thank you” – “You’re welcome.”

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4 Comments

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Adriel Hampton

Were you in California? Because I’m pretty sure that “No problem” has the exact same meaning as “You’re welcome” here.

Dick Davies

Hi Adriel!

Over the weekend I was reading the 40th Anniversary Edition of Dune, by Frank Herbert. In a polyglot universe, they devolved to individual “battle languages” kind of like the Navajoes in Windtalkers. I have had several posts now that “No problem” is supposedly the same as “you’re welcome.”
As the guy who wrote the post, I disagree. “No problem” shuts down the conversation…that is what it is intended to do by the efficient. “You are MOST welcome” comes from the effective, using the common interaction to build rather than hold off, a relationship.

P’raps a question of what you are trying to accomplish with your communication opportunity, non?

Thank you for focusing me!

Adriel Hampton

You’re right, really, it just may be my former tip-reliant existence that led me to feel for your server. “Happy to help!” or “My pleasure!” also come to mind.

Dick Davies

“Tip reliant existence”? OMG, we’re all in a “tip reliant existence”! And we can sure see the ones who haven’t yet figured that out.

Excellent distinction! *grin*