The Advantage of Being Yourself!
By Lara Felix-Omonubi, Entrepreneur & Client Service Coach | 2 min read
As slow as the days of the past two months have felt, they’ve flown right by just as fast! Call it an oxymoron but I believe you get the point.
This month we’re addressing the topic ‘balancing professionalism and personality’. As you may already know two of our core values here at Client Service Coach are Embracing Diversity & Individuality and what they simply mean is that we encourage the unique characteristics that every individual owns, and we value their varied approaches in doing things. We believe that having the same goal doesn’t mandate our journeys to be identical and this is what makes us successful individually and as a team. Plus let’s face it, you spend more time at work than you do anywhere else, so the last thing you'd want to be is someone other than yourself.
As professionals, there are certain boundaries that ought not to be crossed and certain courtesies that are just simply expected such as a cordial, neutral greeting with a balanced tone of enthusiasm. Every client you interact with deserves at least a “hello” or “good morning” upon contact, and a “thank you, goodbye” upon completion; or it could be a matter of keeping a respectable distance, thereby acknowledging the need for personal space and refraining from unnecessary physical contact. Where personality comes into this example of professionalism is the way it is communicated as well as the conversation that serves as the bulk of the transaction. The manner of communication has everything to do with tone, as aforementioned, body language and consistency.
Maintaining, what we have coined as, “a reflective tone” should always churn out during engagement with clients. This reflective tone does not stifle character but rather enhances it by allowing the colleague to express their feelings of positivity or concern within the context of the transaction in a reasonable manner. For example, if a customer comes into store requesting a product, a colleague would be excited and enthused to make the sale and this would be evident in their response to the customer …
“that’s actually a great product you’ve chosen, please feel free to look through our other products whilst I grab this for you from our stock room!” …
Everyone seems happy here until the colleague comes back empty handed, having found out that the last of the item was sold just a few minutes ago. Now this can be very daunting and almost embarrassing for the colleague in question, but that colleague has a responsibility to that customer to maintain a positive outlook by using their charm, charisma, wit and empathetic skills to inform the customer of this. A great example of this would be phrased somewhat like this …
“I know we had our hopes up about getting you this product today but unfortunately we just sold the last one this afternoon, but before you worry, I have a few things I can do to make sure you get this product a.) I’ll check the warehouse or call our sister store to find out if they have any in stock and see when is the earliest it can be delivered straight to your home b.) We get a restock every Thursday, so once all the totes have been cleared, I can reserve one for you and give you a call immediately or c.) We’ve got a product very similar to this one, maybe even better that you just might want to see. How does all that sound Mrs. Smith...”
What we’ve done here is to acknowledge and address our sincerest concern and shared disappointment. We have also gone further to proffer an active solution whilst adding a personal touch.
Other ways to add personality to your day to day work whilst remaining professional include:
1. Indulging in seasonal festivities and appointing volunteers to create
2. Investing in team building exercises and away days
3. Leaving room for autonomy (this is an exercise for management to express trust in employees)
We hope you can find the balance in embracing, maintaining and utilising your great personalities within your individual workplaces. And remember, your greatest power is that you are YOU and there is no one else on the planet like you and that's what makes you, well I guess … YOU!
Lara Felix-Omonubi Bio
Lara Felix is a serial entrepreneur the Founder and CEO of Client Service Coach and owner of a sophisticated luxury family and lifestyle brand known as Mimo Silk.
Client Service Coach is an organisation dedicated to equipping individuals with the tools to deliver excellent customer experiences. Hosting workshops, seminars and speaking engagements globally, she enjoys engaging with people from various walks of life.
Her vision is to transform the way service is delivered across the globe through enhancing and personalising client interactions and experiences. She works with individuals and businesses, of all sizes, to improve their customer service delivery framework which in turn cultivates a progressive work environment and increased profits.