Have you noticed that “I want and gimme” are the new catch words for please and “thank you” is becoming extinct! It doesn’t matter where you go or what you do, it is obvious our level of etiquette and civility towards one another has dwindled. One of my favorite movies is, “It’s a wonderful life”, when did we as a society go from the charm and pleasantries of good old George Bailey to what can be likened to that of Dr. Laura Schlessinger?
You see the lack of respect, pleasantries and basic humanity almost everywhere you go to conduct business, shop or when you go out to an evening of entertainment. This attitude is prevalent in our federal, state and local government politics. We see it on the TV shows, in the movies and the attitude persists within the celebrities that grace films and magazines. I am not saying that they are all this way, yet there is a majority of them that I personally wouldn’t invite to my home for dinner… These are the mentors of our next generation. They are demonstrating and instilling these qualities throughout our society by way of example.
We read about groups of young adults not giving a seat on a bus or subway train to the elderly or the pregnant. We see people run ahead of elderly people or pregnant woman to beat them to an empty seat or through a doorway. They see you coming with your shopping cart and the put on the afterburners to beat you to the checkout counter. Heck we see people running the cash at grocery stores, clothing stores and pharmacies talking away with their coworkers not paying attention to customers, they sometimes speak about topics which others don’t want to hear.
You see it in your own facility. Your employees and customers answering their cell phones while in the middle of a face to face conversation. I have witnessed employee’s text messaging while engaged in a conversation with peers or other managers, sometimes customers and I feel it shows a lack of respect. You’ve probably observed your employees continue with their conversations while customers are waiting to be served and the worst is when the topics are not related to their work!
Today most people have become complacent to this type of behavior and accept it as the NEW NORMAL or they turn a blind eye to it. Most of us who believe in manners, etiquette and pleasantries quietly continue about our business and hope that somehow, someday our society will turn itself around for the better.
The reason I am writing this is to show you that there is a better way to attract and retain customers to your facility that is COST FREE! A smile costs nothing and can make someone’s miserable day so much brighter. A smile can turn that upset customer back into agreement. A smile will literally turn a frown upside down!
When customers come into your facility they will feel more welcome, at ease and receptive to build a relationship with your business if your employees are smiling, warm and inviting – welcoming them into the facility. You will have less negative issues and more positive results if you can get your employees smiling, greeting and thanking people for their business.
Who are you more apt to deal with, the person with their arms folded having a blank unfriendly look on their face or the person standing in front of you with their arms open and smile on their face while saying, “Welcome to Anywhere Motors, how may I be of assistance today”?
Having the right attitude will literally catch your customers of guard - they are not use to it! They have been exposed to the, “your interrupting my day” syndrome for too long! Try having your employees make a commitment for thirty days to smile, be receptive, be helpful, be gracious, be empathetic and thank customers for their business. I would be willing to wager that your revenues increase and the problem customers decrease.
By instilling this, “can do - we will” attitude you automatically motivate your employees and the atmosphere becomes instantaneously positive. Again, where would you rather do business? I would rather take my business where the people were positive and they all seemed like they were happy to helping each other and their customers. Essentially in anything we do in life we reap what we sow, therefore sow great positive seeds that will sprout exceptional customer experiences and grow your profits. Having a positive attitude costs nothing and the returns can be surprisingly high.
David
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