Perky Alert

Posted on 1/27/2006 at 2:06 PM - Post Comment

I am frequently accused of being just too damned cheerful. At least once a week, some stranger on the phone will say "Wow! You sound happy" or some such comment. I typically reply "Well, it was one of the options I had when I got up this morning." I say it like a cheery ditz, but more times than not there is a thoughtful pause or a comment about that attitude on the other end. Mission accomplished.

Why do I make being cheery such a priority? There are a lot of reasons, but here are a few:

1. It makes other people feel better. In sales, making the other person feel good is more important than anything else.

2. I genuinely feel cheery most times; and

3. I do not want to burden others with my problems.

I know it's incredibly dorky, but I try to live by the Golden Rule. And in doing so, find that I simply MUST remain cheerful. I believe that unless I know you personally, there is only one answer to "How are you" and that is "Great, thanks. How are YOU?" (or some such answer), whether I'm asking or being asked.

When I ask Suzy across the counter "Hi, how are you?" I really don't care how she is. And I have walked away way more than once when I received an answer I deem unacceptable. Recently I stood in line for way too long only to have a grumpy teller respond to my greeting with "Don't ask" while she avoided eye contact and checked her watch.

I smiled sweetly, put my business back in my purse and said, loudly enough for all around to hear, "Then perhaps I'll come back when you are up to doing your job. Have a nice day." And I walked away. Why did I do that? Mostly to embarrass her, but in some small way to show her that her behaviour is having a negative impact on people she encounters. And I don't appreciate that.

Being cheerful is not the same as being kind. And while I do make a big effort to be kind, I feel no obligation to cover up my disappointment when another human being does not behave as they should. Particularly when that other person is providing a service that I am paying for and/or for which they are being paid.

Being cheerful works, but when you combine cheeriness with a clear outline of your expections, you will disappointed less frequently. Another experience I can relay:

My son went through a phase of buying decorative swords. He would save his pennies and shell them out for overpriced junk made in China. One store in particular had received over $300 of his money, for product that was most likely marked up 1000%. One of these items literally fell apart when he opened the packaging. I went back to the store, stood beside the "no refunds" sign, put on my most cheerful attitude and explained to the girl what had happened and that we would like to exchange the product for one that wasn't defective. The minimum-wage clerk looked very concerned and explained that they couldn't possibly know that Max didn't break it with rough handling.

Again with a smile, but with a tone that relayed my confidence, I said "Could you please go and ask your Manager if we could exchange this? Explain to her that my little boy has spent a lot of his allowance here, so the only answer I will accept is NO PROBLEM MA'AM."

She was stunned, but I continued to smile adding a little shrug and eyebrow lift. "Go on" I encouraged...

It only took about 2 minutes for her to come back, look me right in the eye and say with her own lovely smile "No problem, ma'am". I thanked her, told her how much we appreciated it and showed it by spending another $50. Win/win.

I will leave you with the brutal truth, as this blog is all about me being honest and ugly...

I am cheerful because it benefits ME. I know when I treat others well, I benefit professionally and personally. It also makes me feel better (fake it until it's real). And maybe, most of all, it allows me to live my life with this superiority I feel when I am able to control my environment better than most.

Have a nice day!