Personality Counts

Picture this. Four street kiosks in the main square in Florence, Italy, selling almost identical leather products. Bags, purses, wallets, luggage, jackets etc. One of the four kiosks (where we bought our souvenirs), manned by Antonio was crowded, while the other three barely had a customer.

The differentiator? ANTONIO. Well spoken, with his broken English and heavy Italian accent was a charmer with a great personality. The others were just selling their wares, with little enthusiasm, and even less success.

The truth is that the softer skills count. Maybe we teach too many hard business skills, and little else. Unfortunately, personality can’t be taught. And neither can charm!