The Smile Opener

Recently I was talking to a past client and he told me about a very simple technique he used for opening people during the daytime. Simply smile, when they smile back thank them for a warm smile back. This was such a simple but great idea I asked him to write down his thoughts about it so here they are.



Perhaps it’s best to begin this like an AA meeting. Hi everyone, I’m ph and I want to one day own a bunch of monkeys that all run around wearing diapers. Don’t scoff at my dreams, I heard that there’s quite the market for consumer primates. I created this amazing connection with this old woman in a Petco store when she started giving me guidance on fulfilling my
dream apparently there are quite a few websites focusing primarily on the primate slave trade. She also suggested that I research the group that trains monkeys for paraplegic individuals who are fairly debilitated and speak to
them. I misunderstood her, and thought that she was a mean old crow who wanted me to steal a helper monkey from a cripple.

We both laughed heartily. But, I’m still wondering if she also saw that Simpsons episode.

There ya go; I’m a goofy, lazy, cheesy kid. Seriously though, I do try to mix a little bit of game into my cheese. I’m not saying I’m successful by anymeans; but, damn. I think I have had a few, great interactions with people.
(senior citizens are people also guys)

I started talking to her not because of something I said, but because of something she did. Strolling around Petco with my boy, I’m actively searching for the right bag of kitty litter for his blue ‘Frank Sinatra’ eye’d kitty named Frankie. I see her in all of her haggardness and I think about my grandma in St. Louis. I smile at the woman. She smiles back.

Honestly, I’ve never been more conversationally aroused than when a woman of any age, mind you returns a smile.

So, I tell her that. Almost verbatim. My friend doesn’t know why, and I’d be damned if I could provide an algorithm for this, but it worked. We started talking about monkeys, damnit! Monkeys = rapport!

It’s odd; people don’t usually smile back at you when you smile at them. You might get the two-lip cringe coupled with that meaningless nod. I know exactly what I’m talking about, I do that all the damn time.

I’m going to move back a little bit and again try to synthesize why I’m goofy, cheesy, and very damn lazy. I’m a college student. It’s my senior year. School is tough. Class is boring. However, there comes a point when your parents yelling sticks in your ear and you do feel like paying attention. Or, in my case, the hot Asian marketing professor honestly needs to be hit on by some 21.72 year old stallion. I just have to be out of my head if my goofy remarks get any recognition. For me, that depends on energy.

I need energy guys; I lose it very quickly. Going from interaction to interaction, I finally understand how striking up a conversation about any topic just let’s me suck energy out of thin air. I become alert, social, and feel alive. As soon as this became painfully obvious to me, I began speaking all of the individuals who crossed my path in the various hallways, bus routes, or local pet stores whenever they respond to any thing about me.

I thank them for responding to me through whatever nice gesture they give me (usually a smile), and how it HONESTLY has helped my day because I’m about to go to my marketing class on TuTh 1-230PM. They’ve just made me alert for my
class; I’m finally allowed to absorb the immortal gift of knowledge (hey, I consider digits knowledge also). Okay, I don’t try to sound all profound or anything, but I think the genuineness takes care of all profundity.

But, wait folks that’s not all. There’s much, much more to approval giving!

I used to only do this during the day because school sucks the time out of me faster than the energy required to do a pset. Last weekend, I finally went out--after what seems to be year--to an awesome venue here in Boston. I’m walking around some very attractive internationals and I see a very cute 2set of Russians. I give them a huge, porcelain smile so large that my eyes squint, and for me, this is the most important part about getting this to work in a bar I do a ridiculously cheesy hand wave. This isn’t just your normal cheesy hand wave. This is the cheesy hand wave only done by a 6’2, 205lb guy whose hand waves frantically for 3/2 inches at nipple height (you guys are totally smart enough to insert your stats where needed).

The cuter one waves back. To my despise though, it was a normal hand wave. I told myself that I should give her another chance, because you never know who you’ll meet when ;). And I did exactly what I told you earlier, I went up to her and her friend and told her that I really liked how she waved back at me, and that I just got into the bar and I haven’t opened myself up yet, so that was the most homely invitation I’ve ever received. I also started talking to her about people smiling and I made some really bad jokes. They gave me tons of energy. I think they both pity laughed me. Regardless, they earned this lazy assholes SOI that night.

I think the cheesiness works for me, but that’s up to you.