The Virgin brand goes hand in hand with the enigmatic and frequently airborne Richard Branson. In an Entrepreneur article, Richard Branson talks about how smiling can actually be a competitive advantage. At first, it may seem a tad far fetched, but look to almost any Richard Branson interview, and at some point you’ll be met with his characteristically enigmatic, bordering upon cheeky grin.
Richard Branson talks in the article how a well placed smile can sometimes achieve things like helping negotiations proceed to your advantage and defusing tense situations that are on the cusp of spilling over. He also comments on how a smile can help create comfort and familiarity with customers – an important environment to create, to help them choose your product over the competition.