Some people sell products.
Some people sell service.
And then there are those rare people who naturally make others feel welcome, valued, and taken care of.
That ability is worth more than many businesses realize.
I was talking not too long ago with a retired department manager from Nordstrom.
Naturally, I had questions.
Nordstrom built a reputation around superior customer service, quality products, helpful employees, and handling returns in a way that made customers feel taken care of.
So I wanted to know:
WHAT WERE THEY LOOKING FOR IN THE PEOPLE THEY HIRED?
TWO THINGS STOOD OUT
Two things from our conversation stayed with me.
The first surprised me a little.
During the application and interview process, they were looking for PEOPLE PLEASERS.
Not phony people pleasers.
Not somebody smiling through clenched teeth because the manager is watching.
LOL.
They wanted people who actually LIKED people.
People who enjoyed helping.
Talking.
Listening.
Interacting.
Solving problems.
Why?
Because you cannot teach genuine interest very easily.
You can train somebody how to operate the register.
You can teach inventory.
Policies.
Procedures.
Product knowledge.
But if somebody fundamentally does not enjoy dealing with people…
the customer usually figures that out before lunch.
ARE YOU SELLING?
The second thing was equally important.
Employees were expected to SELL.
Not pressure.
Not mistreat.
Not manipulate.
SELL.
They were expected to remain engaged.
Help the customer.
Understand what they needed.
Suggest useful alternatives.
Complete the transaction.
Then be ready for the next customer.
No standing around waiting for something to happen.
The business was built around service…
but service still had to support business.
That is an important distinction.
A store cannot survive on smiles alone.
LOL.
The smile opens the relationship.
The sale keeps the lights on.
THE BUSINESS PLAN
This is where the lesson becomes useful beyond Nordstrom.
Every business needs a clear model.
What do you promise?
How do customers get treated?
What happens when something goes wrong?
How quickly do you respond?
What does your staff say?
What do they NOT say?
What happens at the point of sale?
What happens AFTER the sale?
Those policies become part of the brand whether somebody wrote them down or not.
If every customer gets a completely different experience depending on which employee happens to answer the phone…
you do not really have a customer-service system.
You have customer-service roulette.
LOL.
Consistency matters.
PEOPLE PLEASE AND PLEASE PEOPLE
The woman I spoke with was herself a people pleaser in the best sense of the phrase.
She liked people.
You could tell.
She enjoyed talking with them.
Helping them.
Understanding what they needed.
And she received something from the exchange too.
Not merely commission.
Satisfaction.
She felt worthwhile because she had helped somebody.
That is very different from:
“How quickly can I get this customer out of here?”
You feel the difference immediately.
THE RIGHT KIND OF PEOPLE PLEASER
Now let me clarify something.
People pleasing can become unhealthy when somebody abandons their own boundaries, values, or self-respect simply to keep everybody happy.
That is not what I am talking about here.
I am talking about SERVICE-MINDED PEOPLE.
People who receive satisfaction from creating a good experience for others.
They can still say no.
They can still enforce policy.
They can still have boundaries.
But even while saying no, they know how to treat a person like a person.
That is a skill.
And in business, it is a valuable one.
CUSTOMER SERVICE SELLS BEFORE THE SALE
A customer may forget exactly what the employee said.
But they remember the feeling.
Did somebody notice me?
Did they listen?
Did I have to chase somebody down?
Did they make the problem harder?
Did they act like I was bothering them?
Or did somebody step forward and say:
“Let me help you.”
There are five profitable words.
LOL.
Customer service begins selling before the product does.
THE PERSON BECOMES PART OF THE BRAND
Businesses spend enormous money developing brands.
Logos.
Advertising.
Websites.
Packaging.
Colors.
Campaigns.
Then a customer walks into the store and meets one miserable employee.
There goes the branding.
LOL.
The person representing the business becomes the business in that moment.
That means who you hire matters.
Attitude matters.
Character matters.
Natural disposition matters.
You want people who understand that every interaction is part of the company’s reputation.
RICHIE SPEAKS
Here is one Richie rule:
Do not hire somebody to deal with people if they do not like dealing with people.
LOL.
Another:
A customer should never feel like an interruption to the employee whose job exists because customers showed up.
And one more:
People remember the person who made things easy.
They also remember the one who made them sorry they came in.
PEARLS INSIGHT
Strong customer service begins with selecting people whose natural temperament fits the role.
Training can improve technique, but genuine interest in people creates warmth, trust, loyalty, and stronger customer relationships.
The best business systems combine service with clear expectations for performance.
PEARLS CONNECTION
This connects directly with POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE = THE KISS OF DEATH.
That Pearl focused on what happens when customers are ignored, mistreated, or run around.
This one looks at the opposite side.
Hire people who naturally LIKE serving.
Give them a clear system.
Expect results.
Then let good service and good business support each other.
FINAL THOUGHT
I walked away from that conversation thinking about the retired manager herself.
She brought value wherever she went.
Why?
Because the people skill was not trapped inside Nordstrom.
It belonged to HER.
She carried it with her.
Put her in another store…
another company…
another organization…
another room…
and that same ability to connect with people would show up.
That is a skills bank at work.
Some people fix things.
Some build things.
Some organize things.
And some have the remarkable ability to make other human beings feel welcome.
If that is one of your gifts…
use it.
Businesses need it.
People appreciate it.
And goodness knows…
the world could use a few more people who genuinely know how to please people.
This is the only key that unlocks all doors
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
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