Sales & Service: Enthusiasm’s Ups & Downs

A positive attitude and enthusiasm are essential tools for sales and customer service. A recent study at the Wharton School of Business showed how mood affects customer service performance.

Customer service representatives (also known as a CSRs) who start the day with enthusiasm and a positive mood deliver better service throughout the day. Most would agree that the same applies to sales teams’ success.

So the more enthusiasm in sales and service the better, right? As a mindset or mood, yes.

As a communication style, über enthusiasm can overwhelm and turn off the customer. In other words, there are ups & downs to enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm's Ups & Downs Image by: tk_yeoh

Enthusiasm’s Ups & Downs

  1. Enthusiasm for customer service shows the customer you care. When it drives you to do all the talking, it tells them you don’t care enough to listen.
  2. Enthusiasm in technical support drives you to solve even the toughest problems for customers. When you show the customer enthusiasm for broken technology, they think you care more about technology than you do about them.
  3. Enthusiasm for the products and services you sell, captures the customer’s attention. When you spew it like a geyser, you stop the development of great customer relationships.
  4. Enthusiasm sustains your objectivity and commitment when facing an irate customer.  When you ooze enthusiasm on an irate customer, you come across as insensitive. Your actions lack empathy.

Sales and service tip: Before you take off on an exciting ride, make sure that you and the customer are together!


Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach, delivers keynotes and workshops that take sales and service teams from inspiration to action! Her results are legendary. See this site for more information.

2 Responses to “Sales & Service: Enthusiasm’s Ups & Downs”

  1. Jay Baron says:

    This one’s caught me before 🙂 In tech support I love coming across new challenges, because the process of troubleshooting is just plain fun. For the customer though, they don’t care how much fun I’m having. They just want things fixed, and quickly. So I curb my enthusiasm and keep the grinning to myself.

    On the bright side, at least I don’t have that fakey radio guy voice. That’d put a real dampener on my career.

    • Kate Nasser says:

      Jay, A big thanks for this comment. You so easily stated it — when customers are having problems, they don’t care how much fun you are having. They just want it fixed!

      So simple and so true.
      Kate

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