Arouse in the Other Person an Eager Want

by Kevin on August 26, 2010

I have been on a Dale Carnegie kick lately.  Well, for the last 20 years.  That's "lately" in a larger sense.  A Carnegie maxim is “Arouse in the Other Person an Eager Want.”  People are far more alike than different.  And everyone is pretty much like you and me: we are all interested in what we want.  This is so obvious that we often don’t even see it.  The fish doesn’t know that it’s wet.  Everything you’ve ever done was done because you wanted something.

The only way to persuade someone to do anything is to talk about what they want and show them a way to get it.  There is no other way.  As simple as that sounds it is something we overlook all the time.  Arouse in another person an eager want and they will move mountains.  Fail to do this and they won’t move an inch.  As Carnegie said “If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as from your own.” 

Talking about our problems is a waste of time.  When we communicate with people, let’s see how quickly we can get to view things from their point of view.  The world is full of people who are grabbing and self-seeking.  So the rare individual who unselfishly tries to serve has an enormous advantage.  He has little competition.  Let’s be clear that this is not about manipulation.  Each person needs to gain from the relationship.  Long-term success in sales, marriage, networking and everywhere else is about win-win outcomes.  Always has been, always will be.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

{ 0 comments }

Let’s Talk About LinkedIn Recommendations

by Kevin on August 25, 2010

LinkedIn is one of the best places for you to showcase the professional that you are.  I often tell my audiences that one of the reasons that LinkedIn is so important to your success is because Google is so twentieth century.  When someone Googles your name they see a lot of information and some of it may not show you the way you would prefer.  By creating a robust LinkedIn profile you can present yourself in the most favorable light while increasing your visibility, showcasing your credibility, gaining clients or locating and securing your next position. 

You have the ability to allow people to write Recommendations for you on your LinkedIn profile.  This is a good thing.  A very good thing.  Of course you paint yourself in the best light when you create your LinkedIn profile.  You’re biased because you’re you.  By having people who have done business with you write testimonials regarding their experience of working with you, your credibility and viability increase dramatically.

Having trained thousands and thousands of people and hundreds of companies on the most effective uses of LinkedIn since 2004, I have seen a lot of LinkedIn profiles.  Most people are not leveraging the Recommendation section of their LinkedIn profile anywhere near what they could be doing.  I actually had someone bring to my attention recently that I have more Recommendations on my LinkedIn profile than anyone else on earth.  I didn’t believe them so I did a little research.  I found out that not only do I have more Recommendations than anyone else; at 740+ Recommendations I actually have more than double the number of Recommendations of any of the other 75,000,000 people on LinkedIn.
This serves me very well and I’m suggesting that adding Recommendations to your profile will result in greater success for you.  This is also another reason why you should connect with current and former coworkers, clients and networking partners.  These folks are in a position to comment on their experiences of working with you.  And you control what gets posted on your profile.  If for some reason you would like them to modify their Recommendation you can request it.  You can also delete the Recommendation completely if you choose. 

In a more and more competitive business world, having the ability to have other people describe the positive outcomes they have had in working with you can be a game changer for you, your career and your business.  All things being equal, people do business with and refer business to people they know, like and trust.  By having Recommendations on your LinkedIn profile you significantly increase your “know, like, trust factor”.  Most people spend inordinate amounts of time trying to realign the planets and solve business Rubik’s Cubes when in reality their businesses would be transformed if they increased their Know, Like, Trust Factor.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

{ 0 comments }

Give Honest and Sincere Appreciation

July 30, 2010

In keeping with my recent Dale Carnegie theme, one of the “Carnegie-isms” is “Give Honest and Sincere Appreciation.”  This is very important in all interpersonal relationships, whether online or offline.  We should never forget that all our associates are human beings and hunger for appreciation.  Remember the phrase: “the desire to be important.”  It is [...]

Read the full article →

Why Networking Is Important

July 29, 2010

Remember the old days (in the last century) when your parents told you to go to school, stay out of trouble, keep your nose clean, study hard, get good grades, get a good job, work there for 40 or 50 years, retire, move to Florida and enjoy the good life?  Were you told this like [...]

Read the full article →

Don’t Criticize, Condemn, or Complain

July 26, 2010

Most folks know that I am a bit of a Carneholic.  That's a Dale Carnegie-aholic.  "Hello, my name is Kev, and I'm a Carneholic."  Whether I'm speaking onstage on Online or Offline Networking, LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter or anything else (and God knows I fall into some rabbit holes), you can bet your life that [...]

Read the full article →

WIIFM

July 26, 2010

When you're networking remember that everyone has WIIFM written on their forehead in invisible ink.  "What's In It For Me?"  This is true regardless of the person's age, gender, occupation or anything else.  There are some things that we all share in common and this is one of them.  There is no subject that is [...]

Read the full article →

Kick It Up A Notch

July 26, 2010

Because people can't read minds, we make decisions about the folks that we meet and network based on things like clothes, body language, eye contact and other factors.  Of course, we also make decisions based on the other person's credibility as it relates to what kind of work they do.  But there is something that [...]

Read the full article →

Twitter for Non-Twits

July 26, 2010

Do you think that Twitter is just about 13 year olds talking about what they had for lunch and the Jonas Brothers?  C'mon, if you're not currently using Twitter, you know you do.  If so, you're right.  But, that's like saying that the phone is about 13 year olds talking about what they had for [...]

Read the full article →

Listening Is So Important

July 26, 2010

We never outgrow the need to have our feelings known and much of the conflict in our lives can be explained by one simple fact: people don’t really listen to each other.  In a more and more hyper-paced world we sometimes fool ourselves into thinking that we can do more than one thing at a [...]

Read the full article →

LinkedIn 101

July 26, 2010

LinkedIn is the world’s largest and most successful networking site.  There are over 70,000,000 people using LinkedIn.  The average LinkedIn user is 42 years old and earns $107,000 per year.  Not a bad demographic. If you’re working, a LinkedIn profile is a must-have, not a like-to-have.  This is because just about all savvy businesspeople go [...]

Read the full article →