Why "Please" and "Thank You" Still Matter

Dan Sullivan, co-founder of Strategic Coach, includes "say please and thank you" among his four Referability Habits — the simple behaviors that determine whether people want to keep working with you and recommend you to others. The other three are: showing up on time, doing what you say, and finishing what you start. Together they're unglamorous, easy to overlook, and remarkably effective.

Sullivan's point about gratitude is straightforward: showing genuine appreciation costs nothing but makes people feel their value has gone up and that they're truly understood. In business, as in life, courtesy signals respect. It tells people their time and effort registered with you.

None of this requires charisma or clever strategy — just consistency. A sincere "please" when you ask for something, and a sincere "thank you" when you receive it, quietly build the trust that keeps relationships and referrals coming back.