When you walk into someone’s place of business to shop or buy something, what are you expecting?

Most people expect to encounter someone friendly who is helpful when you need their assistance, to be served in a timely manner, to be given fair value, to be presented with a quality product, to find the process quick and easy and to be thanked whether you give them the business or not.

What do you get? Typically, you get a mechanical welcome, someone feebly saying, “Can I help you?” followed by telling you what they can’t do versus what they can do, a bunch of sentences containing the word “policy,” and their inability to understand that just because they’re out of an item, it doesn’t mean you don’t still want it or need it and will likely go to their competition to get it. All this, and a touch of rudeness.

Now, maybe I have exaggerated a bit. But not by much.

Many companies have multiple locations where the products are the same, but the service is not recognizable from place to place. One may be fantastic, while the other may be pathetic.

The inconsistency of people-performance can make or break a business.

Here is what will make you, or anyone near you, or anyone in a job they consider beneath them, or anyone who hates work, understand the formula for emerging into a better career — certainly a better job:

1. Your internal happiness. Happiness is not a job; it’s also a person.

2. Your attitude toward work. Do you go just to pass the time for a paycheck? Or are you there to earn your pay with hard work?

3. Your self-esteem and self-image. How do you feel about yourself?

4. Your desire to serve.

5. Your commitment to being your best.

6. Your boss and how your boss treats you will be reflected in your performance.

7. Looking at your job as menial rather than a steppingstone toward your career. It’s not “just a job”; it’s “just an opportunity.”

8. Pride in your own success.

9. Realizing that you’re on display and that your present actions will dictate your future success.

9.5. Every today is a window to your every tomorrow.

Companies spend millions, sometimes billions of dollars on advertising, branding, merchandising, strategizing and every other element of marketing that they believe will bring business success. But if there are people involved, marketing means nothing if the people are not great.

I often ask people, “How’s it going?” I get the most disappointing answers, like, “Just three hours to go.” Or “It’s Friday.” What does that tell you about what kind of employees they are, much less what kind of service is attached to their attitude?

When you go to a hotel, a $50 million business rests on the shoulders of the front desk clerk. That’s the first impression you have. In a retail business, it’s no different. All the advertising gets you to come into the store. From there, it’s all about the retail clerk. Doctors and dentists now advertise. But it’s the person who answers the phone who gives a true reflection of what the doctor or dentist will be like.

What is your company like? Do you have people working there who hate their job? Do you have people with “attitude”?

Here’s what you can do:

1. Set the example by being your best and doing your best.

2. Hang around with the winners, not the whiners.

3. Create service best practices and have everyone implement them.

4. Have weekly internal positive-attitude training.

5. Look at the best companies in America for best practices you can adapt and adopt.

6. Do your best at everything, every day.

6.5. Work on your own attitude. You must THINK you will succeed before success is yours.

Anything less than “best” is not acceptable. But here’s the secret: Don’t do it for your company — do it for yourself. Develop pride in doing your best at your job even if it’s not your career, or you use the word “just” when you describe it.

Real winners are few and far between. Making yourself one is a choice.

If you want a couple more attitude boosters and one major attitude secret, go to gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time user, and enter the words ATTITUDE FOREVER in the GitBit box.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com

© 2007 Jeffrey H. Gitomer