Why You Should Hire the Three Stooges

It’s pretty easy (and profitable) to add a little childlike spirit to any job. I’ve touched on this before, but the other day Seth Godin offered up another prime example in his post, “How to be a great receptionist.”

Do all receptionists have to be Adultitis-stricken Roz impersonators, grumpily barking warm greetings like, “Name and ID, please.”? Unfortunately, too many are.

As Seth spelled out a number of easy ideas that a good receptionist could use to transformation herself (or himself) into a GREAT receptionist, I couldn’t help but notice how many had a childlike spin to them. Here are a few examples:

I’d argue for a small budget to be spent on a bowl of M&Ms or the occasional Heath Bar for a grumpy visitor.

If you wanted to be really amazing, how about baking a batch of cookies every few days?

I’d ask the entire organization for updates as to who is coming in each day… “Welcome Mr. Mitchell. How was your flight in from Tucson?” (A nice way to interject a little curiosity.)

Is there a TV in reception? Why not hook up some old Three Stooges DVDs?

Candy? Cookies? The Three Stooges? What is this, an out-of-control Kindergarten classroom? Nope. It’s an office that understands that the receptionist is just as important a part of the company’s brand as that high-priced TV ad, fancy business card or freshly-painted fleet of company cars. (Probably more so, actually.)

As Seth points out, “Think the job acceptance rate goes up if the first impression is a memorable one? Think the tax auditor might be a little more friendly if her greeting was cheerful?”

How about you? What childlike techniques do you use to turn your job from good to GREAT?

P.S. I can’t even use the word “great” anymore without thinking of my buddy Phil.  Well done, my friend.

[tags]receptionist, Roz, Monsters Inc., Seth Godin, M&Ms, Heath, childlike, Three Stooges[/tags]