Do You "Have them at Hello"?

  We have all dealt with the agent, friend, neighbor who begins every sentence on a negative note....and we then become conditioned in our response...noses wrinkle,....ears want to close....eyebrows raise...muscles tense...the "Now what this time..." natural reaction.
  What if instead of starting the sentence...voice mail...e-mail ...with a problem... negative....it began with a cooperative tone...an upbeat tempo....a communication that has a far better chance of better reception by the receiver.
   Let's try replacing "We have a problem...."  (and the natural...oh joy...NOW what reaction) with
       -Did you notice that....-Would you mind if....-Do you think we could...-I was thinking another approach might be....You know sometimes I forget to....
    The beginning is everything....first impressions...lasting impressions and immediate reactions...we are all human...and some thought on Hello...may mean a better reaction/reception from the receiving party....and ultimately cooperation....and isn't that what this business, relationships, etc. are all about ?