Niceness Matters

Have you ever been to a coffeeshop and gotten rude service or even just mediocre treatment?  Bet you thought twice about going back to that same spot.  Maybe you didn't even leave a tip that day.  Have you ever been someplace when they were overly friendly, remembered you from your previous visit, complemented you on your outfit or asked how your day was going?  How did that make you feel?  Probably, you left feeling pretty good and made a mental note to go back to that same spot.

Niceness is a necessity for your business.  And, guess what?  It is free.  Here are some things you can do to make your business a little more friendly:

• Have the first contact someone makes with your company be a kind and friendly face.  This first contact sets the first impression of your company.  Make it a nice and friendly one. 
• Get rid of employees who are rude and too cool to be nice to your customers.  They create an environment of unfriendliness and only attract those of similar attitudes. 
• Management must adopt this friendly approach and hire and train friendly faces to promote this culture within the business.  If management fails to adopt "friendliness matters" as a principle, it simply won't happen. 
• Being friendly to your customers doesn't mean you are a pushover.  You can be friendly while still being hardcore about your bottom-line and not bending the rules.  
• Don't blow anyone off.  Let folks know you can't help them and be direct but do it with a smile. You never know who they know or if they will need you in the future. 
• Take complaints and anger from customers with a calm approach, don't overact and lash out.  Continue your pleasant attitude and don't let a few rotten apples get you down.

Remember, you just have to add a smile and a good attitude and it will attract customers to you.