“His heart’s not in it.” It was an odd remark to overhear, especially given the profusion of red-and-pink heart shapes that fill the pre-Valentine days. A young man was describing how his supervisor was skipping meetings and stalling on big and small tasks that keep a workplace humming. Apparently the boss was busy counting the minutes till his retirement. He no longer cared about anything or anyone else, including bringing his replacement up to speed. So unfair to everyone counting on him, from bewildered staff to unhappy customers—some of whom might assume the guy’s not only retiring, but the business is history too.
Contrast that with a woman I know whose two retail boutiques were always a source of ready enthusiasm. “You HAVE to see this!” she’d bubble to a newly arrived customer. “I know you’ll want it.” No matter the season, or if she was coming down with the flu, whether her part-time helper was late arriving, or a shipment was missing, she’d stay upbeat. She put her heart into every sale and every task. Her enjoyment at matching customers to the perfect new product was genuine, and her eyes sparkled when she took special orders, delighting in the idea of finding the ideal accessory or color to please a particular person. Even when business slowed, she kept the pep quotient high. You couldn’t go in her boutique without feeling a charge of energy.
When she decided to pursue a different career path, gradually closing her shops, she remained enthused up to the end, no matter how few customers browsed the deeply discounted treasures. Her drive and her pride remained in high gear. “I’m making a transition, but that doesn’t mean I stop the music,” she said. “When you care about something, you carry it through to the end.”
Is your heart still in what you’re doing? If not, revive it with a dose of recalled enthusiasm. Revisit a past success, or check out a colleague’s idea. Keeping your heart in anything will keep your energy up, and that will hearten the customers around you. Contact Market Viewpoint today to learn about our motivational training and leadership programs, all designed to help you retain more customers.