The Blind Date That Turned Joe Girard Into the World's Greatest Salesman (and What It Means for Your Writing Career)
One bad blind date taught a legendary salesman six rules for turning a simple expression into a business asset. They work just as well for freelance writers.
Picture a blind date so bad your heart sinks straight to your socks. That’s exactly what happened to Joe Girard at 17, until his date did one small thing that rewrote the whole night.
I’ve used the same tactic myself to turn bad encounters upside down. And it works every time, no joke.
So whether you’re going through a rough pitch, a stressful call, or trying to push through a colossally bad day, this simple action makes everything better.
Note that it’s not about the action itself — there’s a lot that goes on under the surface if you put this into play. Do it, and it’s bound to work in your favor.
Here’s to your writing success,
Mindy McHorse
Executive Editor, Barefoot Writer
Discover More Success with Joe Girard’s Six Simple “Extra Smileage” Rules
By John Wood
When the world’s greatest salesman, Joe Girard, was 17, he was set up on a blind date.
It was part of a double date with his friend and his friend’s girlfriend.
He had the normal apprehension …
What would she be like?
Would they hit it off?
How did he let himself get talked into this?
The night of the date, he drove with his friend to pick her up.
His friend honked the car horn. His date emerged from her house.
In Girard’s words, she was “the ugliest girl in the history of the world.”
He says his heart sank to around his socks. But then something happened.
When she got into the car and introduced herself, she lit the place up with a smile that in Girard’s words was “simply terrific.” In under a minute, Girard says, she became the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
She smiled all evening. It came through in her eyes, voice, and personality.
Girard says he never had so much fun as he did on that blind date. He says it opened up his eyes to the power of a smile.
Smiling not only makes you more attractive and likable, but it can also help change your mood and draw people to you. Plus, studies have shown that smiles have significant health benefits, such as making your immune system work better and lowering stress.
And for writers marketing their services, prospects and clients are more likely to do business with someone who is smiling and in a good mood than someone whose mood suggests the sky is about to fall.
If your life could benefit from more smiles, what follows are Girard’s six simple rules to get “extra smileage” out of life:
Smile when you don’t feel like it. This is probably the toughest one to follow. The idea is that you smile even when you’re moody and blue. Don’t let others sense your troubles or that things aren’t going your way. Girard says it’s better if people think to themselves, “What has he or she got to smile about?” than “He or she has every right to wear a long face.” In a nutshell, he says, “Whenever you don’t feel like smiling is the time to smile the most.”
Share only your positive thoughts. A smile is contagious. Once you share your positivity, others catch the fever. Girard says to spread only good news. Don’t talk about crime and violence. Talk only about positive things. Also, only do things that will bring joy to people, not depress them.
Smile with your whole face. Don’t restrict your smile to your lips only. Smile with your voice. Smile with your entire face. Put a twinkle in your eye and keep it there.
Turn the frown upside down. Girard talks about how salesman and author Frank Bettger tells the story in his book How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success of a young man whose early life had been full of sickness, hunger, and misfortune. He grew up to be a real grouch.
But the young man was smart enough to know that if he was going to be a success in life, he had to lose the sourpuss. If he was to put on a happy face, he knew he’d have to first take off his unhappy face. It wasn’t going to be easy. He started each day with a 15-minute “smiling workout.” He’d think of reasons to be thankful and to smile. Before long, it became a habit.
Bettger says, “You can cultivate happiness with a smile. Try it just for 30 days. Give every living soul you meet your best smile you ever smiled in your life, and see how much better you feel and look. It’s one of the best ways to stop worrying and to start living.”
Exercise your sense of humor. Girard reminds us to try to see the humor in situations. Always smile and roll with it even when the joke is on you. And always smile with the other person, never at him or her in a way that suggests you are making fun of them.
Smile out loud. What’s better than a smile? A good hearty laugh, says Girard. A laugh is an out-loud smile, he says. Don’t be afraid to turn your smiles into belly laughs. Nobody has ever been harmed by laughing too much.
Girard suggests that you put a sign where you can see it that says:
“I saw a man who didn’t have a smile, so I gave him one.”
And then when you see someone without a smile, be sure to give him yours.
When you put these six “extra smileage” rules to work, Girard says, you’ll be amazed at how much they help you sell yourself to other people.
The next time you are engaging with people, whether on the phone or face-to-face, try putting on a smile. You’ll find it can improve your confidence, help you make friends, and even give you the winning edge you need to succeed in your writing career.