Smiles are action-packed! For instance, do you know someone who has a “million-dollar smile”? I am talking about the kind of smile that lights up an entire room! – A smile that automatically makes you smile, too!
Former Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith has one. In fact, I have never seen Emmitt when he wasn’t sporting that trademark smile.
Johnny Carson had a great smile!
My wife has one!
But let me tell you about my grandfather’s smile. He made a living with his! No, he was not an actor or a professional model. Pappaw managed a filling station, as they were called back then. This was back in the day of full-service filling stations. This was the day of service with a smile!
While the tank was filling with gasoline, Pappaw would check under the hood – the oil and other fluid levels, belts, hoses; he’d even top off the battery water if need be. He checked the air in all four tires, and pristinely cleaned windshields and windows, all the while chatting with each customer as though he or she was his best friend.
Some of those customers drove for miles, passing many other stations, to trade with him. Why? Was his gas always cheaper? (Nope!) Did the other station attendants cut corners on the full-service? (Not necessarily.) So what kept them coming back? – That smile (his and theirs). Pappaw’s smile was contagious.
No matter the nature of your business, you are in the customer service business. And you owe them full service – service with a smile!
Did you know that a genuine smile works relational magic? It’s true!
First, a smile disarms others and melts away their prejudgments. Dale Carnegie wrote in his classic book How to Win Friends and Influence People that a smile is “nature’s best antidote for trouble.”
I find this to be so with my daughters. When they’re upset about something or are mad at me, I smile. They typically shout, “It’s not funny!” But in no time at all, they are smiling too. And you know what? A smile works with adult “kids” in the workplace, as well.
The second thing a smile does is open ears, minds and hearts to receive you and your message. The other person may not agree with you, but he or she will at least listen to your message. Motivational speaker Denis Waitley has said, “A smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside.”
Finally, a smile is the balm for your own spirit. Literally, chemical endorphins are released in the brain, which make us feel better and improve our mood. Research has consistently affirmed this physiological event.
Andy Andrews was once deeply depressed and living under a bridge. He now is a popular speaker and leadership coach, who refers to his smile as his “calling card.” He says, “When I choose to smile, I become the master of my emotions. Discouragement, despair, frustration and fear will always wither when confronted by my smile.” A smile is that powerful!
When we provide service with a smile, we are a lot like my grandfather working that filling station:
(1) We check under hoods by touching people’s hearts;
(2) We clean windshields by giving perspective;
(3) We air up tires by equipping people to reach their goals;
(4) We fill up tanks with affirmation, inspiration and empowerment; and
(5) We keep folks coming back when we smile!
Get galvanized by smiling. You will galvanize others, to boot!
© 2012 Russ Riddle. All rights reserved.