Greet your customer with pizzazz!

Sounds basic, doesn’t it?  Yet, many of us are amazed how often we witness poor customer greetings.  Think about a time you experienced a less-than-acceptable greeting.  It probably left you feeling ignored, poorly treated and maybe angry.  

We have about five seconds to create a good impression.   So, what are some basics for a successful greeting?

  • Check your attitude.  Be aware of what you are thinking and feeling.  Leave any negative feelings at the door.
  • Be warm and sincere.  Most customers know if you are faking a warm greeting.  Make sure your tone is positive.  Our tone sets the expectation for customers of our willingness to help them and our level of professionalism.
  • Check your body language.  Keep eye contact.  Present yourself like you really care. 
  • Focus on your customer, not yourself.  Observe their body language. Be attentive to their tone to understand their emotional content. Also, be aware of what is not being said.  Your active and sincere listening will show that you are trying to understand the customer’s point of view and needs.
  • Keep your good attitude and keep smiling.  This helps to keep even a difficult situation on friendly terms. 

Creating an early rapport and showing interest will help you be successful for the rest of your customer’s visit.   So, during your next interaction with a customer, provide a little pizzazz!

– Marcia White is a communications specialist with the State Personnel Administration.



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