Here’s a true story I received from my mom earlier this month:

Steven, I just had to tell you about a couple of little girls from a local elementary school who came to our office to sell candy for their fundraiser.

One girl was kind of shy and didn’t say two words.  The other one, small but confident, was as memorable as any little salesperson you ever met.  They came in the door and several of us who had seen their school bus pull up went to the reception area to see what was going on.

They came in with their rather large bags filled with boxes of candy.  The small girl introduced them, noted the school they represented, and asked if we would buy candy for their fundraiser.  One of my co-workers said, “I don’t have any money with me today, sorry.”  Not missing a beat, the girl said, “We take checks!”  That was sale number one as the woman made her selection and went off for her checkbook.

Another said, “I’m on a diet and can’t eat candy.”  The girl immediately said, “We take contributions!” and received a $5 bill.  As others came up with excuses, the little girl enthusiastically overcame their objections.  So original and refreshing!

Then she turned to me and I asked what she would win if they sold the most candy.  Her face lit up and she said, “I get to help the special children board their bus to go to camp!”  I bought $20 worth.

Enthusiasm and belief in your cause… amazing how it shines through!

Thanks mom!  And to those readers who might dismiss this example as applying only to $2 fundraiser products, be assured that the same principles apply whether selling candy bars, bottles of wine, hotel rooms, or jet airplanes!  Enthusiasm and belief in your cause sells!

Want more proof?  Read about how Cowbell Sandy’s enthusiasm increased add-on sales by $11.50 per hour at the Paradise Bakery & Café she managed.  Here’s the post.

Conveying authentic enthusiasm that adds a bit of a spark to an otherwise predictable transaction is an effective way to express one’s uniqueness while making it memorable for customers.

Three years ago, I ordered an omelet from an omelet maker at a Marriott hotel in Atlanta, GA.  He was wearing an apron that he meticulously pressed an accordion-like pattern into each morning before work.  It was so remarkable that you had to ask him about it.

And the personality that he put into his outstanding uniform carried over to the personality in his service as an omelet maker.  I still recall his name, Ulysses.  Seriously folks, how many of you can recall these types of details from an interaction you had with an omelet maker three years ago?

Ulysses is genuinely filled with enthusiasm and authentically conveys this enthusiasm to customers in a way that is unique, perhaps even singular, and matches his style and personality.

Authentic enthusiasm may be animated or may be reserved, but it will be real.