RealitySells

The Challenge of Serving Others Greatly

I know a little something about feeding the hungry.

Our three boys are 17, 14, and 8. Two of them wear shoes that are far bigger than I’ve ever worn in my life. All of them have friends, and coincidentally, all of them seem to be starving just as they arrive at our house.

Sherri and I have lots of experience feeding the hungry.

When a customer comes into a restaurant, however, there’s more to feeding them than simply putting food in front of them.

If Ryan, my 14-year-old, goes out with his buddies for pizza, they’re also hungry for something else. They’re hungry for respect. For someone to listen to them and hear them. For someone to notice them. Someone to make them feel important.

And no matter what business you’re in, your customers are hungry for the same things.

Certainly we must respect others, and serve them to the best of our abilities as a part of our job descriptions. But one of the biggest challenges to overcome is the fact that even though you’re supposed to respect others, sometimes those customers don’t respect you.

In fact, sometimes customers can be real jerks.

It’s human nature to think less kindly about these customers. It’s only natural to want to tell them off, serve them badly, or to give them directions to the competition.

The Challenge of Serving Others Greatly is to understand that you must drop the judgment that you have of others for what they’re doing to you, and at the same time understand that even though you don’t get to judge them, your customers still get to judge you.

It doesn’t seem fair. But it’s true. It’s the Challenge of Serving Others Greatly.

What will your customers be judging you by? Here’s a short list:

Physical Appearance – Whether it’s right or wrong, we all judge each other by the way we present ourselves. How much time did you spend looking your best? Are your clothes clean, pressed, and presentable? Are you well-groomed and appealing to the eye? Are your clothing choices appropriate for the work you’re doing?

Personal Hygiene – If you’ve ever been behind someone in line that smelled like they haven’t showered in weeks, you know what a terrible impression it can give. You cannot afford to offend anyone by your body odor, your breath, or anything else. If you need a fearless truth-teller in your life—someone who isn’t afraid to tell you what you really need to hear about yourself – then get one.

Posture – People make negative judgments about others who slouch, walk lazily, or carry themselves poorly. Look at yourself in the mirror, and compare yourself to someone you admire. See how you match up.

Eye Contact and Smile – The two most powerful things you can do to build customer trust is to look them squarely in the eye and give them a genuine smile. Others will consider you less trustworthy if you cannot look them in the eyes. Try it.

Ability To Listen – If all you’re concerned about is you, customers will recognize it instantly. True listening involves hearing what the customer is saying, acknowledging that you heard them, and responding in a way that shows you heard them correctly.

Handshake – Have you ever shook someone’s hand, and it felt like a cold, wet, limp fish? Handshakes are another way that people will judge you, and a proper handshake involves a web-to-web connection (the area between your thumb and forefinger), a firm grip but not too tight, and just one or two pumps up and down. Avoid the uncomfortably long, 15-pump handshake that seems to go on forever.

The Challenge of Serving Others Greatly is to remember that as a public servant, you forfeit the right to judge any customer by anything they may do or say to you, but you must still treat them with the same amount of respect and dignity as everyone else.

People might be rude to you. They may get angry with you, and say negative things about you and whom you work for. They may try to work the system, rip you off, leave trash all around, or smell the place up with their body odor. And despite all that, you still have to serve them Greatly.

Sometimes it isn’t easy. That’s why it’s called a Challenge.

Are you up to it?

Bill Guertin is Chief Enthusiasm Officer of The 800-Pound Gorilla, a business development firm in Bourbonnais specializing in sales performance, customer service, and marketing. He can be reached at bill@The800PoundGorilla.com, or at (815) 932-5878.