Keeping the Smile Plastered Across the Face

by Kori Rodley Irons | More from this Blogger

18 Sep 2007 12:16 PM

I just returned from a business trip to Norway--just got in to my home town on the West Coast late last night as a matter of fact. And, while I was working long days (11-12 hours) and pretty focused on putting out fires and taking care of work stuff for the bulk of the time I was away, I did have some time to reflect on the basic challenges of customer relations--it dawned on me that as long as I kept that smile across my face, no matter how kooky, crazy and stressful things were behind the scenes--other people thought I had everything under control!

The smile really is the foundation from which customer service and human relations is built from. I know this. WE know this. But, it can be tough to remember when we're looking for ways to make improvements to our marketing and our businesses. We have a tendency to over-complicate things and look for expert advice on how to solve our marketing and customer relations problems when often, it might just be that we are not sending off a warm and friendly vibe to those we interact with. Watching our facial expressions and paying attention to whether we are smiling can make a big difference in how we kick off interactions and conversations and help us to maintain control and an appearance of ease and confidence.

Now, don't get me wrong--there were some incredibly stressful times and some people who were pains on multiple levels--it was all I could do not to grown audibly when I saw them coming--but I didn't. Instead, I just plastered my best and warmest business smile across my face and made like everything was fabulous. It paid off (among other things, of course) in a successful trip--and I was reminded how important those basics can really be.

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