DENISE OROS SAYS if she could bottle her energy and sell it, she’d make more than she does on gold. Here are 10 takeaways from her conversation with Trace Shelton on the debut episode of “Supernatural Cheer”.
1. UGLY STUFF FIRST: Denise does her hardest, most dreaded task first thing every morning. Once it’s off her plate, the rest of the day feels like candy. Procrastinating only builds anxiety, frustration, and fear — and fear is what quietly guides all of us. Knock out the worst thing early and you free yourself up to be joyful the rest of the day.
2. HIRE THE SPARK: You can train someone to sell, but you can’t train them to be engaging. Denise hires for intelligence and curiosity — people who light up when they greet you. That first foot forward, the energy they project, is what she’s looking for. She can teach the rest. But if the spark isn’t there, you’re in trouble.
3. MAKE THEM LAUGH: Denise believes that once you get a customer to laugh, you’ve got about a 95 percent chance of closing the deal. One of her go-to lines? When customers ask where she is, her team says she’s taking cooking classes — she quit burning salad a couple years back. Silly? Yes. Effective? Every time.
4. SHOOT THE MONEY: During Ladies Night Out, Denise fires cash into the air with a money gun. Customers are stunned, then they turn around and spend it in her store. It creates the kind of viral, gossip-fueled buzz in her community that no amount of advertising could buy. The whole street lines up.
5. LEAD WITH THANKS: Instead of critiquing, Denise opens with gratitude. “That was a magnificent sale.” “That shortcut you found was amazing.” When you acknowledge and lift your team, you make them feel worthy. It brings an unspoken cheerfulness and gratitude into your everyday fabric — and you never hear a raised voice in her store.
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6. BUY THE PAJAMAS: When Linnea Jewelers hits its annual numbers, Denise buys everyone pajamas and they wear them the day before Christmas Eve. Customers now recognize Pajama Day as a sign the store crushed it. It’s a small investment that signals success, rewards exhausted employees, and has become a beloved decade-long tradition.
7. TRAIN THE MUSCLE: A priest friend taught Denise to start every morning listing things she’s grateful for. She’s done it for 15 years. Joy isn’t a personality trait you’re born with, she says — it’s a muscle you build through daily, deliberate practice. Once you train your mind to find positivity, it becomes part of who you are.
8. GET IT IN HANDS: Denise’s philosophy is simple: pretty things sell themselves — you just have to get them into someone’s hands. The real job isn’t selling, it’s creating an environment where people feel relaxed and open enough to engage. When the energy is right and a customer feels safe, the exchange becomes easy.
9. EDUCATION FUELS JOY: Denise calls education the underpinning of happiness. When her team attends shows and takes classes, they become better storytellers, more confident, and more joyful. You can have more fun when you know what you’re talking about. And you never have to fake an answer — which builds the trust that brings customers back.
