Dr. Jerry Osteryoung Executive Director of the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at Florida State University

Smiles

Today, give a stranger one of your smiles.  It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.  ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr., P.S. I Love You

One day last week, as I was leaving the restroom of one of Tampa's Walgreen stores, I noticed a sign located at the employee entrance into the store. The sign on the door read something like this, "When you go through these doors, your uniform is not complete till you wear a smile."  In my opinion, smiles are the signal to anyone who is around that you are open, receptive and kind.

In a study done of over 1000 people by Harris Interactive, 94% of the respondents said they are likely to notice a person’s smile before they notice their height or appearance.  75% of these respondents felt that an attractive smile is important for success in the workplace.

Not to take this scientific study too seriously, I performed my own empirical test at the grocery store.  My wife had given me a list of things she wanted me to purchase and I made a commitment to keep a friendly smile on my face the whole time I was shopping.  As I was shopping, I kept on running into folks because I was trying to pay attention to my list (my grocery cart license should be revoked).  Without exception, even though I ran into them, once they saw my smile, they smiled back and laughed at my bad driving.  When I checked out, I smiled warmly at the cashier and I could see her countenance open up and she smiled back.

{sidebar id=1}I firmly believe that both customer service and business relationships must start with a smile. Rather than a methodical, "What may I get you to drink?" make an effort to greet customers with a smile.  A smile really says, "I am receptive and very glad to see you."  Smiles really tell people they are worthwhile human beings.  First impressions are so critical, yet people so often forget that, as the scientific data above shows, it is the smile they look at first.

The most effective smile is the sincere, friendly smile when talking to others. It is this smile that connotes friendliness, warmth and trust.  Employees of many places of service just do not get this simple concept.  If you can get your staff to offer up smiles on a regular basis, I guarantee your customer service will improve immensely.

Now go out and devise a plan to make sure your staff continuously offers "smiles up" to your customers and to other employees.  It will make a big difference in your business. You can do this!

Jerry Osteryoung is the Director of Outreach of the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship in the College of Business at Florida State University, the Jim Moran Professor of Entrepreneurship; and Professor of Finance. He was the founding Executive Director of the Jim Moran Institute and served in that position from 1995 through 2008. He can be reached by e-mail at jerry.osteryoung@gmail.com or by phone at 850-644-3372. All of Dr. Osteryoung's articles can be found in a searchable form at www.cob.fsu.edu/jmi . This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

This article originally published on October 7, 2008.

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mkwestmark

 

Comments (1)

Smiles Can Be Heard As Well!, I agree with Dr. Osteryoun

October 09, 2008     

I agree with Dr. Osteryoung and with the study that was done. Smiles are uplifting and contagious, but smile also can be “seen” on the telephone. About 25 years ago when I first started in the workforce, I worked as a secretary for a third-party health insurance administrator in Tampa, Florida that was big on customer relations and positive attitudes even though the claims examiners were never face-to-face with the general public. On several occasions we had training sessions on phone etiquette and dealing with the public by phone. The one training session that has ALWAYS stuck with me is one titled “Can You Hear My Smile?”. The overall message of the training was to smile when you answer the phone. It works! No matter what kind of mood you’re in or how bad you may feel, if you answer the phone with a smile the person on the other end perceives that you are happy. I have people quite often ask me how come I always sound like I’m in such a good mood when they know I can’t always be in a good mood. Well, that’s my secret! Try it yourself and see what kind of positive response you get from your callers. Cheryl Mallow Secretary Sopchoppy Education Center

Mary Katherine Westmark | 67.233.154.134 report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

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