The Cost of a Smile

Who is the face of your company? Do they understand the importance of a smile to how they greet people. It is amazing how smiling can make your whole demeanour so much different. What it does for the face of your business is even more important. Recently I was working at a training location and the person in charge of the front desk was very knowledgable but didn’t smile very much. Every time I asked her a question her eyes would roll making each request seem like it was inconveniencing her greatly. As I went through the week i kept wondering if she knew about the vibes she was throwing off to others. On a recent vacation my wife and I came across the same thing with a waitress that was serving us and we mentioned that she had a beautiful smile and should show it off more often. Both of these individuals are the front line for their respective businesses and are the first impression for the customers. No matter how talented, efficient, or hard working the person is if they don’t show to the customers they are happy to be there then they are sending a bad message to potential clients.  

People can read the vibes you send off in life whether it be over the phone or in person. Anyone on the first line should be ready to greet people with a smile and warm greeting. if you are not ready to do that then you shouldn’t be on the front line as you are making things worse for the business rather than better. Think about the profit potential for that client. If the customer comes into buy a widget for $10,000 and is turned off by your front line employee then the sale is lost and your profit is nothing. If the customer is happy to deal with your front line employee and buys the widget then the profit is $10,000. Either way the cost of the smile was zero, but the profit changes dramatically.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a business and leadership consultant and author of the books, Driven to Drive, Running By The Mile, and How to Start an Artistic Business in 12 Easy Steps. For more information and articles please visit his website at www.outridge.ca