Six Ways to Make People Like You

I was thinking a lot today about how people act at networking events. Let me rephrase that. I was thinking a lot today about how poorly people act at networking events.

Business is not built on the products/services you sell, it is built on the relationships you make.

Let’s face it, humans are naturally selfish. We love to talk about ourselves, and the rise of social media has really magnified the “all about me” mentality. This is simply not a winning formula when trying to network and connect with new people. Take note, it does not matter if you are meeting in person, or via Twitter, the rules are the same.

The good news is that you can turn this weakness into a huge asset simply by feeding into what we already know about human behavior.

A huge reason why I am successful today is my “less about me and more about you” mentality. I honestly don’t care if someone thinks I am important or influential. What I care about is if I can make you feel special, like the only person that matters to me at that moment.

This brings me to the age old formula presented by Dale Carnegie in the legendary book “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. If you are not familiar with this book, I highly recommend you pick it up today. It was written in 1937, and in my opinion, there has not been a better text on this topic published since.

Six Ways to Make People Like You

1. Become genuinely interested in other people
2. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language
3. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves
4. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests
5. Make the other person feel important, and do it sincerely
6. SMILE!

This is the magic formula for those serious about building your business, making customers happy and having productive employees. Keep in mind, you can not fake this, it has to be sincere. I know we live in a high pace and ever changing landscape, but the one constant that does not change is our need to be heard.

Take the time, listen more, and build those authentic relationships. I can guarantee you will see a massive return on the time you invest.

LOVE IT!