To all those celebrating, may you have a very happy Christmas! For unto us a child is born. God himself became flesh and dwelt among us. Be kind to your serving friends working today.

When you invest in your customers, they can in turn invest in you. They then can become friends. They ask about your upcoming surgery, your house search, you get to hear of their struggles and their successes. You gain friends.

I have been at my shop for three and a half years, and I see our mailman a couple times a week. He has delivered mail to us a few hundred times since I started working there. In that time, I hadn’t seen him smile once, regardless of how cheery or thankful I was for him and his deliveries (regardless of parcel importance). Until… One day, he came and delivered our mail like normal. He put the mail piece on the counter and started walking away. I yelled after him, “Sir! What’s your name?” “Randy.” “Thank you for your work, Randy! My name is Andrew.” Being called his name turned his day around. He smiled. The first time I had seen him smile was when I called him by his name. Now, when he sees me walking around town, he honks and waves. Never underestimate the selling power of people’s names.

If you serve to get something out of it, I believe you’re doing it wrong. To truly have infectious generosity and hospitality, you must believe with all your heart that you would do it for free. With no anticipation of getting anything in return. Love what you do; love what you give. When you don’t expect to get, the more you will receive.

What is your best tip for asking a valuable guest to come back and sit with you specifically? How do you lock in the relationship?