Get Out From Behind the Counter
The retail sales counter. An accountant's desk. A pulpit. Your static (cob)web site?
Potential barriers to congenial conversation.
When I was in retail management, I coached our sales staff to spend most of their time on the customer side of the counter. Subliminally, there tends to be an Us vs Them mentality when a barrier stands between you and your customer.
Notice the changes in restaurant service. Wait staff used to stand behind their ticket book. Now they sit down at your table.
Last year, I met a man opening a coffee shop in the Des Moines Skywalk. As people walked by, he'd smile or nod...but for the most part, he was ignored. Soon, he began ignoring the passersby and worked on behind-the-counter busy work.
I suggested he get out from behind the counter and engage with people. The common ground was on the other side. Unfortunately, he stayed behind his 'protective' barrier and soon lost his business.
In some ways, adding a blog component to your web presence gets you out from behind the counter.
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