Have you ever gone into a department store, bank, or restaurant and been greeted by someone who was acting polite, but who you knew couldn’t give a rip? It’s a major turnoff for most people. (That’s because it’s a sure sign of insincerity and a lack of caring.)
But you and all the other people who touch your customers can’t be expected to be nice all the time, to be polite all the time, to care all the time, can you?
No —not human ones, anyway. Especially in crazy times like this!
However, there is a skill that’s easy to apply that can bridge the gap between the times you feel genuinely, positively involved in your interactions and those you don’t. It’s called acting “As if.”
What if you’ve had a tough day? Can you act “As if” you haven’t? Or, if you feel confused about solving a customer’s (or employee’s) problem, ask yourself how you’d act if you weren’t confused.
Suppose you’ve just read some not-so-encouraging news post about the status of the world, and now you have to get on the phone with a customer. Can you act “As if” your emotional connection to the news didn’t take place, muster faith in your ability to overcome adversity, and go on to help the customer?
You have a headache; can you act “As if” you don’t?
As a business pro, you’ll be called on to perform when you simply don’t feel like it. Skilled performers — actors, speakers, service reps, and salespeople — have developed great confidence in their ability to “do what they have to do.”
Many know the act “ As if ” secret.
As a performer and frequent traveler, I can assure you there are many times when a delayed flight, a night of fitful sleep in a hotel room, overwork, or a cold threatens my ability to do my best in front of an audience. (It happened just last week – a sore neck and rotator cuff literally made travel a pain!)
But what are my options?
Cancel the performance? Resign myself to giving a bad show? Beg the audience for forgiveness? I’ve never considered any of these acceptable alternatives. With faith in my ability to rise to the occasion, I act “As if” — as if I had a good night’s sleep, as if I were feeling terrific, as if my shoulder didn’t hurt. Very often, I find myself starting to feel just that way.
When I’m nervous, I remind myself how it feels to be at ease —how my voice sounds, how my face looks, how I stand. I try whatever I can to create the feeling I seek.
Very often, by changing something in my body, by acting “As if”, my mood changes and then my attitude and state of mind follow suit. (In this case you could say the “mind follows the behind”.)
Begin right now to act “As if’ you have faith in your ability to succeed as a “performance specialist” and relationship expert. If you act creatively, you’ll be creative.
Acting resourcefully can make you resourceful.
Cultivate the habit of acting like a first-rate, best-in-your-class customer-care expert, and it will be so.
‘Act As If’ is one of my “101 Ways to Keep ’em Happy, Keep ’em Loyal, and Keep ’em Coming Back”
Have a positively energizing day,
JoAnna
ARE YOU A POSITIVE ENERGIZER? CHECK OUT THE 3 MINUTE VIDEO HERE.
