Stuffy at the Nail Salon?
By · CommentsAn interesting experience at the nail salon …
(read to the end)
Male or female…no matter. Eventually we all end up waiting for an appointment somewhere, and this may present an opportunity! 
I was reading an article waiting for my appt and in comes this woman. She was wearing a beautiful bright pink jogging suit, make-up and hair were perfect, designer bag…the works. She looked great. (I couldn’t help but notice her and I observed all of that in about 2 seconds when she walked over to sit down).
As she went to sit, she looked at me and then looked away before I could give a friendly ‘hello.’ I couldn’t tell if she was unfriendly or pre-occupied…first instinct ~ unfriendly. I LOVED the color of her outfit, so I told her. When I said ‘what a beautiful color, you look great!’ She immediately lit-up and yes, opened-up. She was so flattered.
She was having a ‘situation’ and very worried about it. I assured her, from seeing a friend’s exact experience, that the nail tech was wonderful and everything worked out for my friend. She took this deep breath and said ‘oh my gosh, I feel so much better that you told me that. I lost sleep last night’
After some other minor chit-chat, I was called for my appt, and she rec’d a call on her cell, so we parted. At the end of my appt, I went over to her while she was having her nails done and just said ‘ how are you doing…is everything going ok’ (must be from my waitressing days!) She looked up, smiled, and yes was feeling so much better about her situation. Then she said ‘you know, you are so familiar to me’ and…I had felt the same way earlier, but couldn’t place her. So we both figured out that she used to be a customer of mine many, many years ago in another business. She turned out to be a doll and we assured each other that we hope to see each other again sometime.
While at first thought this may seem petty and insignificant, it was a great experience for a couple of reasons.
1) If I hadn’t given her that sincere compliment, we both would have sat there in that awkward silence while waiting
for our appts
2) I would have walked away ‘assuming’ she was the unfriendly-snob-type (goes to show, we really never know what
kind of day someone else is having)
3) I would have missed the opportunity to give someone a compliment & reassurance
4) I would have missed the opportunity to smile and reminisce with someone I did business with in the past.
What will come of it? Who knows, but what seemed to start out unfriendly turned into a wonderful experience for both of us! Everyday we have opportunities to reach out to someone…
How about you?
Meeting New People
By · Comments
Just so you know, Michelle Miller has a LOT of experience in what does and does not work when working, meeting and sincerely connecting with people.
There are a few fundamental things to keep in mind…and trust me when I say, I used to be VERY shy and even sort of intimidated when around people. Especially when meeting new people.
If you’re trying to connect with people, in a positive manner, here’s a start:
There is a saying “There are no strangers here, only friends we haven’t met.” Very powerful. Does this mean that everyone you meet will become your best friend? Of course not. But consider this…everyone knows something you don’t. One of the greatest benefits to meeting new people is learning.
Try this: the next time you meet someone new, regardless of the date, time of day or location, take a moment to listen and see if you learn something. Let me know what you find…
