Winning with People

We individuals in the people business either win with people or we seek other lines of work. I want to paraphrase what some famous business icon from by-gone days once said. “I will pay more salary to the individual who has the ability to get along with people than for any other skill he/she may possess.

The ability to get

along with people!

How do you measure up in this realm? What is your score?

Let’s look at a few skills one needs for succeeding and winning with people.
1. Look them in the eye.
Eye contact means acknowledgement. Acknowledgement means I see you, I recognize you and I value you. Ignore a person and you have just signaled that you don’t value them. People notice whether you notice them or not.
2. Use their name properly.
I have stressed this in other blog posts, but I can’t get very farm from this most critical skill. People love the sound of their own name. Get it right, remember it and you will go a long way in earning the right to be heard and to tell your story about the wares you represent.
3. Treat everyone with whom you meet with great respect.
They are, after all, worth knowing, worth your time and attention, and worthy of respect.

There is a man who used to come into a retail store where I worked. After talking with him for less than 30- seconds the first time we met I knew he had some mental challenges. He lived in an adult family home near my place of business, and he had a one-track conversation in every encounter. He would ask about some of the products we sold, express an interest in one particular item, and then, as an end of our conversation, he would say “I like rock music. I’m better than Elvis.” And he would walk away.

Every time he came in I had a choice to make. Would I brush him off, ignore him, belittle him? Or would I give him the courtesy of a smile, a greeting and a bit of attention. That’s all he ever demanded – a little bit of attention.

Remember Mary Kay Ash’s phrase – Imagine that every person you meet is wearing an invisible sign around their neck that says “Make Me Feel Important.”

More thoughts on this topic later. Digest, talk about these, and put them into action!