Remember Aunt Edna? The one who pinched your cheeks and mussed your hair every year at the annual reunion? You liked playing with her marble collection, and the awkward hug was the price of admission.

Remember Uncle Frank? He grunted a gruff “howdy,” none too glad to have a bunch of rowdy kids running around the house. You clamored over his model car collection beneath the glare of his eagle eye.

But remember Cousin Jane? She shared her dolls and played with your trucks and took you on marvelous adventures in her tree house. You whispered secrets and dreams and giggled over silly stories.

Which of these characters greets your customer at your door? Is if the overly familiar Aunt Edna, or the mean spirited Uncle Frank? Do you stalk her as she browses, lurking behind plastic plants? Or are you a welcoming confidant and advisor and friend? Are you authentic or as canned as Spam? What other characters are hiding in your closet?

How do you react when you are the customer coming through another company’s door: how do you like to be greeted?

What’s the worst greeting you ever got?