Smiling & Cold Calling Go Hand in Hand

The first Friday of October is reserved for World Smile Day - the kind that curves your lips spontaneously and makes you feel warm and happy.?

So, dear reader, before you go any further, forget everything and give yourself the gift of a smile.??

Even if your in-tray looks like an unconquerable mountain, the number of leads in your sales pipeline lacking, or something else nagging you at the back of your mind, take a moment to pause.??

Take a deep breath, sit up straight, repeat your motto, and smile.??

All the More Reason to Smile

Nobody needs to read tons of research to acknowledge the effect a smile has on us and others.?

You feel positive and good about yourself.?

In turn, people feel encouraged to interact with you and smile in return, and you get into a whole contagious loop of positivity.??

It works wonders with leads and prospects too.?

If that wasn't enough, people are more willing to lend a helping hand to those who smile often.?

Science Tidbit Psychology to Grin About: The Benefits of Smiling and Laughter | UWA Online?

So, for science fans, the simple act of smiling enables your body to release these three happy hormones:?

• Dopamine gives you that ah-I-feel-so-great-about-myself feeling?
• Endorphins are - simply put - pain & stress busters?
• Serotonin, or as I enjoy calling them, ‘the mood police’ are responsible for your well-being?

Munzai Solutions' Beaming Team?

As a call center, we are responsible for thousands of calls for inbound and outbound sales campaigns for our clients as well as self-marketing and promotion.??

Naturally, when our project managers and SDRs book meetings for the clients with target leads or close deals on their behalf, it's a moment to celebrate.??

Everybody cheers. There are handshakes, high fives and back-pats, with big beaming smiles on our faces.?

But let's backtrack a bit.?

All these glorious moments culminate from extensive planning, hard work, and the ability to take outright rejections with a smile and start all over again.?

True, not all our team members are always smiling especially when there are deadlines to meet to deliver the sales quota.??

Regardless, we encourage our entire team to smile before making cold calls or answering inbound calls. Whether you have a naturally sunny disposition or you are Mr. Cranky Pants, a little smile goes a long way in adding fuel to your tank.?

This seems self-serving to the company but, really, it’s more of a win-win. Prospects and customers/clients both appreciate calls from happy SDRs. The team members feel better about themselves as well and are ready to bounce from a difficult call to the next within seconds.??

A Dash of History :)?

Who doesn't use the smiley face in their digital communications? It's ubiquitous. Its roots can be traced back to 1963.?

Harvey Ball, an American commercial artist, was commissioned to create a smiling face for posters, buttons, and desk cards. The iconic symbol was thus born!?

Today, the happy face has found its way into less than formal communications with clients via text-based messages including emails depending on context.??

Customer Service Ain't a Joke?

Handling inbound calls is considered easy compared to initiating a cold call but when it comes to giving technical information like we do for our SaaS and legal clients, or have to onboard customers, then customer service gets equally serious as shown by this anecdote:?

• After being on the phone forever with a customer who had been having difficulties with a computer program, a support technician at my mother’s company turned in his report: “The problem resides between the keyboard and the chair.”?

Reader’s Digest to the Rescue?

Make time in your hectic life to share laughter or at least a smile by reading jokes and sharing the ones you like best with your family, friends and peers.??

Laughter Is the Best Medicine @ Work by Reader's Digest Pages 101-150 - Flip PDF Download | FlipHTML5?

Acts of Kindness??

The first act of kindness should be to yourself which is to let go of the burdens - past and present mistakes - that all of us accumulate over time.?

After you have done that, find ways to be kind to others. Any small gesture that will make another person, be it your overstressed colleague or a total stranger, smile.??

Here are a few ways that break people into smiles:?

• Appreciate strangers over their sense of clothing, and accessories, or when you see them doing something nice.??

• Surprise your team with lavish praise when you get a positive response from the client??

• Acknowledge the efforts of your team through sharing positive messages on group chats (Psst. like our Operations Manager does with the sales department)?

It is cliche, but that little curve to your lips can straighten things out. It’s the small things that hold monumental significance.?

So,?

Smile and keep stress at bay.?

Happy Smile Day, Readers!?