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Are vendors allowed to say “you’re welcome”?
This phrase has bothered me for about a month now and I just can’t let it go.
Being self-employed for almost 19 years now, I work very hard to earn every bit of respect from my clients. They hire us (any company)to do a job and that in itself shows immense trust. I don’t do video to earn awards; the reward is a satisfied client and seeing their program/video/media doing it’s intended purpose be it train employees or sell services. And if I do that right, they come back – what better trophy than that?
Now to my point – I have NEVER said “you’re welcome” to a client. (Well maybe after I buy them lunch with what is essentially their money) They are paying me, I am doing my job. What give’s me the right to say “you’re welcome”? I appreciate them sooooo much, when they say Thank You, my response is thank you. I don’t even say you’re welcome to jobs I do for free.
So I have this producer along with me – I hired him for my job, I was paying the bills – and after a long day of interviews, I said “nice job, thanks”. He said “you’re welcome” – quite matter-of-factly. I stopped breathing. What?!!? Like I couldn’t have done it without him. Maybe I’m being a little ridiculous, but I would have preferred his appreciation for me hiring him and him giving me – the customer – a big “thanks for giving me the job”. I’m not being holier than thou, I just thought I would get a little of the respect I show to my clients. And guess what, I’m the customer to many freelancers; and yes, the good ones buy me lunch at times. Freelancers are vendors and need to work to get business the same as production companies work to earn client/jobs.
I suppose this mild rant would have eventually left my mind, but I was in Best Buy the other day picking up some drives and after the sale and I said “thanks” to the cashier, and then I heard it…. “you’re welcome.” DOH!
So maybe this has some message here: Ya better always choose your words wisely; be appreciative of the work you have; respect others. Or you won’t have work next week.
Steve
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27 Replies
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Good post. Your thanks as a vendor is your payment. If a client does say thanks, thank them right back, or say “thanks for the business.”
As a vendor, you should be saying thanks all the time. Be grateful for the work, but don’t over do it.
If I have a really appreciative client, I may say “my pleasure” or “thanks for the compliment” or “nice feedback” because usually it is not a “thank you” but rather “the video was a big hit, thanks” or “I got the DVD and the CEO loves it, good job.”
As for my vendors (narrators, designers, etc) they say thanks all the time, to which I reply, “thanks for your good work.” And I will thank them when they send me Harry and David fruit baskets, but that doesn’t happen much these days. I did get some nice swag from our freelance book designer however.
It all comes down to knowing your client or vendor. Know their culture, know their nuances of behavior.
Mike Cohen
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“you’re welcome” closes a conversation wheras “thank you as well, when will I see you again?” begins one that helps your bottom line.
I hear ya. I say you’re welcome when someone is welcome to somthing I give away, not when I trade services for currency. I thank em for that.
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Perhaps they are just reacting instinctively to a respose due to a lifetime of conditioning to be polite. Most of the time in public conversations, those two phrases automatically go together. So maybe you’re reading too much into that. When clients thank me, I usually respond with something like “you’re welcome; it was a fun project to work on, I hope we get to do something like this for you again soon”. Or I find some other “and” to put along with the “You’re Welcome”.
Be careful reading intent out of innocuous things people just blurt out. You may be imposing extra meaning where there was none meant. Like the old adage: “never ascribe to planned evil, that which can also be explained by simple stupidity”.
Have a good day.
(“HEY! DON’T tell me what kind of a day to have!!!”)“Oh, you wanted to RECORD that?”
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Personally if I tell someone “thank you” it really annoys me if they thank me back. I’m thanking you for a reason, it’s Ok to accept it and and say you’re welcome. Accept the thanks unconditionally. I’m not saying it to get thanked back.
Even if you are “just doing your job” its Ok to accept a thank. I was raised the the appropriate way to accept a “thank you” is to say “you’re welcome”
It’s so engrained in me that I actually have a hard time understanding why it bothers you.
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It all reminds me of this old Marx Brothers routine in one of their movies (I think it might have been “Duck Soup”… not sure), where Groucho and Margaret Dumont kept thanking each other in real fast increasingly aggressive patter…
Margaret: “Thank you.”
Groucho: “Thank you.”
Margaret: “Thank you.”
Groucho: “Thank you!”Pretty funny.
We do always thank clients and tell them we appreciate their business. In just casual everyday conversation I think I personally probably say something like “Our pleasure, thank you.” But I’m not really sure as I don’t even think about it. Or get worked up about it.
T2
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Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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I think I agree with Mark. Let’s try not to overthink this it is a conditioned response, and a courteous on as well. I do get your initial point, but would not overthink it.
RoyRoy Schneider
Long Live Da Cow! -
Have a nice day!
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Hmmmmm…….
Thank you for all the great responses.
Steve
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[Steve Kownacki] “So maybe this has some message here: Ya better always choose your words wisely; be appreciative of the work you have; respect others. Or you won’t have work next week. “
When folks thank me I usually respond with “My pleasure” usually followed up with “would you like another espresso?”
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author.
Credits include multiple Emmy, Telly, Aurora and Peabody Awards.
Owner, Biscardi Creative Media featuring HD Post
Biscardi Creative MediaCreative Cow Forum Host:
Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion, Apple Color, AJA Kona, Business & Marketing, Maxx Digital. -
it bothers me when I hold the door open for a lady at 7eleven and she doesn’t say thank you.
I’d return that with a you’re welcome and often still offer it when they ignore the kind gesture.
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