Steve Martin

Some research by Rick van Baaren tested the idea that food servers who match their customers’ verbalizations after receiving the order will increase their tip size. No paraphrasing, no nodding, no “okays”—just repeating back word for word the customer’s

social psychologists Tanya Chartrand and John Bargh argue that matching the behavior of others creates feelings of liking and strengthens bonds between two people

I’m sorry you’re upset,” came the reply from the customer service operator.

“I’m not upset, I’m angry,” replied the customer in an increasingly loud voice.

“Yes, I can hear that you are disturbed.”

“Disturbed? Disturbed? I am not disturbed, I am angry,” shouted the customer.

The conversation quickly spiraled into a battle of wills with the customer becoming increasingly angry at the customer service agent’s reluctance to acknowledge the fact that she was angry. The simple repetition of the customer’s own words might have led to a different outcome

Don’t open a shop unless you like to smile,” warns a simple but instructive Chinese proverb. We’ve all heard about the importance of service with a smile, but is one smile the same as the next? And could the way you smile have a positive effect on those who see it

However, when the tasks were performed well, those who

viewed the “authentic smile” video said they would be more satisfied with the customer service than those who viewed the “inauthentic smile” video

Search others for their virtues.” Many of us spend too much time finding faults in the people we deal with in our everyday lives

One day, however, she decided to follow Franklin’s advice. Even though her manager was not a kind person in the office, he was a very devoted family man, something she genuinely admired

she started to like him more and more. One day, she told him that she admired how family-oriented he was, which she could say quite honestly. To her surprise, the next day, he was in her office, giving her a heads-up on some information that was very useful to her—an action she’s certain he never would have taken before

So what does this tell us about how to be more persuasive? If you run a business, you would be well advised to provide