RightToLead.com

Have you ever felt like you’re invisible? You know what I mean. You’re standing in the check out line at the bank or credit union, grocery store, pharmacy, or hardware store and when you finally arrive at the teller window or register, you get the distinct impression that you must have taken your invisible pills that day.

There’s no eye contact from the store employee even after you’ve received a mumbled hello -that is if you were lucky enough to be acknowledged at all. I’ve even bent down and craned my neck, almost forcing my body into an extreme yoga posture, trying to get a peek at the employee’s eyes, usually to no avail. It’s gotten to the point where this is almost a sport for me.

And forget trying to initiate small talk. When you do, you feel foolish because your attempts fall on what seem to be deaf ears. The cashier is either totally disinterested in you, offering one word responses to the quips and jokes you think are so amusing, or they are already involved in a conversation with a colleague- one in which you are clearly not an invited participant. I have even experienced a cashier talking on a cell phone as she processed my transaction. That has to be the ultimate example of ignoring the customer.

But yesterday, I felt visible! That’s right. I was meeting with a colleague at the local coffee shop and when I presented at the counter to place my order, the cashier not only said hello, she made eye contact, and commented that she liked a pin I was wearing on the lapel of my coat. We then got into a conversation about how I found the pin at a local flea market and faster than you can say double mocha latte, we were chatting like we were old friends. Somebody actually noticed me and it felt good. It felt like I had some worth to this organization.

Maybe it was the holiday season, maybe it was the pin, maybe the employee got up on the right side of the bed that morning, or maybe it was good training on the part of this organization. No matter what the impetus, I was made to feel special, important, and worthy of a conversation with this store employee no matter how brief. The thing that is important to take away from this article is that in this day and age of speedy accurate transactions and moving customers through the process quickly, we still need to take the time to interact on a human level. Making eye contact, smiling and saying hello can all be done in a fraction of a second and make for a much more meaningful transaction for all parties. And here’s the thing, I was feeling so good about being visible in this transaction, I even purchased a piece of gingerbread cake to go with my cup of coffee!

Conversation. It does a business good.