What does your mall face look like?

A couple of weeks ago I assisted a client with a mall activation. She co-authored a book (now in its second edition) and we promote it through various avenues. It has been on the cards for months to have a table in our local mall and to gauge the response. The response was good with some post-event follow-ups. But, what I found most interesting was our interaction with people - only if you've done something like this can you completely understand.

Passersby are either friendly and interactive, happy to take the small card to look at (some stop to chat and ask advice, which we were there to give); they acknowledge you and walk swiftly past; or they completely ignore you, not making eye contact. There are open faces with warm eyes, blank faces that are devoid of emotion (and personality) and sad faces - a few very sad faces with owners I wanted to hug.

This experience got me thinking: what does my mall face look like?

As a school pupil I recall doing a charity collection, with a money box, for a charity supported by my school. A majority of people rushed past, completely ignoring us. At varsity I did a few years of Wits Rag magazine sales at traffic intersections. Again you get the people who buy with a smile, those who acknowledge and say 'no thanks' and those zombies to stare straight ahead, trying to wish you away.

This is something I absolutely hate. I'm one for a simple "yes" or "no". The actual answer is never the issue, it's the acknowledgement. Do you want to come for lunch? Yes/No. Here are free tickets for FEAT, would you like to come? Yes/No.

As such, I've always made a point of acknowledging people handing out flyers (yes, I do take them) on street corners, those begging for food or money and even those pesky window washers and car guards. If they persist and mess with me, I'll tell them where to go, but I always acknowledge them. In malls I accept flyers, smile at those manning stands and I'll occasionally stop to chat if the display is of interest.

I've just started reading Riaan Manser's 'Around Africa on my bicycle'. In the very beginning he comments about his mall experiences when he set up displays in malls to publicise his expedition. Of this he says:

Many of the people were interested in my journey and my ideas, while most would chat for a few minutes and then wish me lots of luck before leaving. Not all, though. Some people thought I was raising money and waved me away as I approached to give them a brochure. But I laughed off the occasional rude rebuff; such miserable people damaged themselves and those who had to live around them, not me. I was amazed at how they stood out like sore thumbs among the thousands who passed my stand, positively radiating negativity, and I remember thinking that I didn't want to be like them - regardless of what they might have had in terms of material wealth, I wanted to be on the other side of the equation as a human being.

When you hit the mall this weekend, give some thought to what your mall face looks like and how you interact with these strangers. They're people too.