Uncle John texted me that pic this morning.
My initial response: “I love it and hate it at the same time.”
Response after pondered how I really felt while chugging about half of my nectar of the gods McDonald’s iced coffee (no sweetener, one cream–there is nothing better.)
I HATE IT.
Here’s why.
Last Saturday I headed to the Farmer’s Market. I sauntered up to the micro-greens table because who doesn’t need more micro-greens in their life. Airpods were in, random music blasting, which I paused as I arrived.
“Great to see you around again…” the greens-grower said.
All blasé like I was like, “Yeah hey hi.”
Then I stopped what I was doing. Took the stupid Pods out of my ears, and looked at her face.
“OMG Sonya hey it’s you!” Sonya taught yoga at my old studio and shared the wonder that is Yoga Nidra with me via an amazing workshop. I haven’t seen her in 3 years…and bam, just like that, we were back catching up. Of note: Sonya is one of thy shiest, anxious people around (hence Yoga Nidra) so for her to strike up a convo…no small feat.
Then there is me. 🙄 Shrugging off her wth a “Great to see you around again…” like not even hearing her. Not even registering that she was with her own eyeballs looking at me in my face and seeing someone she vaguely recognized from 3 years ago and I was all hey whatever gotta listen to Show Me Love and not look up and pay attention to you.
THIS IS WHY I HATE IT.
The sign. (I kinda hate all signs.)
I mean I guess they’re being nice and saying they are not going to interrupt. Fine.
But how about taking your Pods out and putting your phone down and looking at the person that is checking you out and having a little chat.
Example: The lady that handed over my nectar in a plastic cup got a, “Nice to have a cooler breeze on your face finally, huh?” She smiled and said YES. Like someone actually saw her instead of grabbing their fries and peeling out.
I’ve got like 7 of these examples from this week alone…partially because it’s a personal mission to make people that I interact with smile/laugh at some point.
This week, I’m a quasi-stressed-out-grump-roast-because we’re going on vacay next week (I know poor me) so therefore I am trying to get everything that I’ve needed to do for the past 15 years done by Wednesday. You know how that is. AND I AM STILL BANTERING AWAY AT ANY AND ALL POSSIBLE MOMENTS because we need banter these days. We need to look up from our GD devices and see the Sonyas out there.
We need you to “interrupt our cell phone conversations to offer us service!”
We need service!
We need human chit-chat!
We need it because it brings us into the present and gets us out of our heads and makes us see and hear and acknowledge the people around us for the humans they are.
Now I can almost hear you saying, “Yeah but there’s just some deadbeat tool behind the counter that doesn’t even offer service.” That’s a point for another newsletter.
The point for THIS newsletter is imagine if your team was aware and engaged and delivered a smiley bit of service and dare I say a bit of banter so people would WANT to get off their phones when they happened into your establishment.
You know, create an experience?
Moments like these (the “moment” being the times we’re living through) and signs like the above make me REALLY want to scream from the rooftops what I’ve been saying in so many conversations lately: the world is full of automated and artificial. Showing up as a real, relatable, and reliable human being is your biggest competitive advantage.
Yeah I say “competitive advantage” because it’s true. 🤓
You give me a Sonya like experience–the person who saw the human that barely saw her–and I’m going to come back and “buy your greens” everyday of the week, and twice on Sunday! (But really Saturday because that’s when the market is.)
P.S. Related: I’m pondering offering a How-to-Banter Workshop. I mean I’m not really but also maybe I should? I’ve been thinking of the nuance between “banter” and “shit-talking” and there for sure are plenty…and we we need more of is the gift of banter.
Although likely no one is wishing their Sales Team “bantered more.” They are probably wishing they sold more. Enter Show Don’t Sell, the two-day intensive where we practice your words, your delivery, and your engagement so you can show your future clients your value, the experience you create, and why you being a real, relatable, reliable human being is exactly why they should do business with you…and not the tool competitors. 😉 Fancy brochure coming after vacation…but if you’re picking up what I’m throwing down and your Sales Team needs some focus, let’s chat.