Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/287259
April 2014 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 7 By kIM pHELAN Five up-and-coming leaders from AED-member dealerships took 40 minutes out of their busy schedules on a recent Friday morning to meet as a new steering committee for this year's Leadership Academy. What a great group of professionals, and they brought some excellent ideas to the table as AED prepares to roll out an exciting program for future dealer principals this coming August. (26th through 28th – see ad on page 44) One of the most impressive aspects of the conference call was their discus- sion about the growing concern of: How do we get everyone on the team "living and breathing customer service?" In other words, helping every dealer employee embrace the fact that every action, every encounter with customers counts – a lot. Is there a way to teach people how to have an owner's heart and to literally amaze customers with attitude and action that demonstrates authentic concern? I'm not altogether sure you can teach attitude – shape it, encourage and promote it, yes, but hiring good- attitude DNA is probably the foolproof way to start. The former CEO of Southwest Airlines, Herb Kelleher, once said, "We hire great attitudes, and teach them any functionality they need." I actu- ally learned that bit of trivia from a wisdom-rich little book sent to me last month by its author, Mike Hinrich- sen, a veteran account manager with Caterpillar. Mike produced his book, "The Little Black and Yellow Book," as a thanks to his company on the occa- sion of his 35th anniversary – it is a compilation of "Lessons Learned From a Lifetime of Sales, Marketing and Ac- count Management at Caterpillar." Immediately following Mike's reflections about the monumental importance of a positive attitude is a four-paragraph commentary about "The Value of a Smile." I am absolutely convinced of the veracity in Mike's conclusion that, "people are like a mirror, smile and they will smile back at you. Your relationships begin with a genuine smile." I've been a student and practitioner of this principle since my adolescence. I tested and proved my theory in the 7th grade that even the sourest old math teacher could be softened with a smile and friendly conversation. And it seldom fails – you would be surprised how the countenance of the grumpy public at large can transform abruptly when they see someone smiling at them. I see this play out in airports, trade shows, grocery stores, meetings, anywhere. Now, I believe it's not an uncom- mon assumption among the male gender that a sweet smile combined with the batting of lashes is a skillfully applied tool among the opposite sex. This is not the kind of smile we're talk- ing about, ok? Smiling is effective for setting a tone or even changing the mood of others without speaking a word, but if the intent is manipulation of some sort, forget it. Mike writes, "A genuine smile says I like you, like serving you and being with you." If I needed to train a group of people how to take care of my customers, the curriculum – and the final exam – would feature a segment on the practice of smiling. Mike also observed that, "it takes 72 muscles to frown and four to smile. Why not take the easy route?" Isn't it strange that we have to even talk about this? The unfortunate reality is that people can get wound up pretty tight, including (or maybe especially) me; it's all too easy to wear your stress plastered across your face for everyone to see. But customers have a way of picking up on not-so-subtle vibes like that, don't they. Ironically, the next-gen leaders from that conference call I mentioned seemed pretty concerned with the lack of customer service mental- ity among some of their companies' younger-generation employees. Get- ting everybody on board with making every customer contact a happy one is a tough challenge – and a challenge that never gets a checkmark next to it. You have to teach thoughtful, friendly customer service as a habit, and then teach it some more. Smiling at people is beautiful out- ward evidence of the right attitude, and some natural happy in the DNA goes a long way. I said you can't teach attitude, but you can surely teach ways to work on it and how to project it. And while faking is not ideal, I love this remark quoted in Mike's book: "I'd rather have an individual acting positive and enthusiastic than a sincere sorehead." -Ed Foreman, Caterpillar leadership trainer. Please be sure to send your next- gen leader to Leadership Academy this summer for great professional develop- ment and networking. And, by the way, thanks for reading. Smile, You're on [Customers'] Candid Camera What is the seriously simple way to right a wrong, start a friendship, and create lasting, loyal partnerships? Don't laugh when I tell you. Editor's Note kIM pHELAN (kphelan@aednet.org) is the executive editor of Construction Equipment Distribution and director of programs for AED. 7_editors note_KP.indd 7 3/27/14 4:19 PM