Friendliness

When all has been said about customer service and client relations a core characteristic shines through: Friendliness.

It is surprising how often you can encounter not unfriendliness - that's seldom the case in most stores - but a sort of friendy-neutral attitude, as if smiling and seeming positive take too much energy or are decidedly uncool.

As with much in life, I blame it on the Sixties. That whacked-out decade and mind-set gave us the myth that "Letting it all hang out" is good and that others should be intensely interested in our feelings.

Speaking for customers everywhere, I can say, "No, we're not. We don't care if you had a fight with your boyfriend or if your dog is sick or your house plant died. By entering your store, we have walked onto a stage on which both of us are performers. The customers are supposed to act friendly and you are to do the same. In fact, since you are representing a business, you're supposed to behave as if you are enthusiastically helping me, even though you may long to be home playing video games or Twister or whatever bizarre activities that you embrace outside of work."

"We don't want blank stares that are the equivalent of 'whatever.' We don't want to thank you for helping us and then hear nothing in response. We don't want you to pretend to listen when we describe what we're looking for. And we certainly don't want surliness.

"We want friendliness and we want it now."

Lights. Cameras. Action!