Shawn Achor has become one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between happiness and success. He is the CEO of Good Think Inc., where he researches and teaches about positive psychology.
I saw a TED talk by him a year or so ago, and it really impressed me. One of the concepts he presented is how a smile is contagious (I think I remember being told this when I was a child). It turns out that when you smile, it actually creates changes in your brain (all positive). When you smile at someone else, whether they smile back at your or not, their brain replicates the same responses your brain is having, mediated by so-called “mirror neurons”.
If your business involves face-to-face meetings with your customers, make sure that a smile automatically greets everyone with whom you cross paths. Actually, this is a great practice for everyone that you see, whether they’re customers or not.
Just ask yourself: Wouldn’t you rather do business with someone whose presence makes you feel good?