What’s a Smile Worth?

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. But how about a smile?

Have you ever gone into a store or office to inquire about their services only to be greeted (or not greeted) by an unfriendly receptionist who doesn’t smile, doesn’t offer any real help and answers each of your questions with one word? Did that make you want to do business with them or turn right around and go find someone who deserves your business?

Smiling and being friendly and helpful is a key component of something called goodwill. What is goodwill? It is an intangible asset arising from the reputation of a business and its relations with its customers, distinct from the value of its products or other tangible assets. It is not something you can buy. You must earn it.

Goodwill is what makes people come back for more services, talk about your company to others and refer their friends to you. Goodwill can create legions of loyal followers. But why is that? Because people want to be treated well, to be granted importance. It’s actually quite magical in its effects. If they are made to feel important and well taken care of, they will not only tell you, but others as well. And if they are treated badly, you can bet they’ll tell their friends about that too!

This is something that you should cultivate not only with yourself, but with every one of your employees. Even if you don’t feel like smiling that day, find a reason to. If you are genuinely interested in the needs of your customer or patient, it will be evident to them. Every staff member that your patients come in contact with should go out of their way to ensure that patient is given the attention they deserve.

So, what’s a smile worth? I’d say that it’s worth at least one new patient, if not a large number of them!