As six very dedicated agents in my EXIT Realty Bend office move towards our goal in
speaking with 1400 Central Oregon Association of Realtors agents, something I haven’t
directly spoken about with them, in our preparing for this initiative, is how the power of
Dale Carnegies “How To Win Friends and Influence People” plays into our goal.
Rich Fountain, Julie Fountain, Jeromy Cockrell, Jack Cornell, Juana Beede and Katella Bahr are all excellent with people. But as Carnegie pointed out, communicating effectively requires much more that just being an excellent communicator.
In the event you are not familiar with Carnegie, he was instrumental in the development of self-improvement and salesmanship tools. Tens of thousands of men and women have studied his principles and read his numerous books, the most famous being “How To Win Friends and Influence People,” published in 1936. Today, more than 70 years after his book was published, his principals are still taught and used by business leaders across the world.
Let’s briefly look at his 6 Principals. as pointed out in John Maxwell’s book, Winning With People.
1.) Become Genuinely Interested In Other People
People don’t care how much you until they know how much you care.
2.) Smile
A smile is inviting. People are often drawn to people who have a smile on their face, Try it.
3.) Remember That A Persons Name Is To Him or Her The Sweetest And Most Important Sound
Those who take and study the Carnegie course learn quickly the importance of remembering names.
4.) Be A Good Listener And Encourage Others To Talk About Themselves
To do so, be a good listener first, always. Ask questions that focus on their achievements and goals.
5.) Talk In Terms Of The Other Persons Interests
To win in relationships , a person needs to learn to talk in terms of the other persons interests. That’s true
when talking to someone for the first time and it’s as true when your building a marriage.
6.) Make The Other Person Feel Important And Do It Sincerely
Find a quality you admire in every person you meet. Learn to appreciate them for what they have
done and who they are.
Maxwell says that by simply adopting these 6 principles…….. by smiling, getting outside yourself, changing your focus and becoming interested in others will change your relationships and your life.
Knowing this, I hope to win 1400 new friends and perhaps influence them as well. Gosh, I’ll put a special emphasis on remembering their names, something that I have often found difficult. Let me now how I am doing.
Jim Mazziotti is a Certified Trainer, Speaker & Coach With The JOHN MAXWELL TEAM
