Last week, I shared a few thoughts on How to Win Friends and Influence People, and because there are so many awesome takeaways from that book, I am continuing that theme with this week’s post. 

So, today, let’s talk about how to make people like you. 

  1. Become genuinely interested in other people. You will make more friends in two months by being genuinely interested in other people than you would in two years by trying to get people interested in you. The takeaway: ask questions, shut up, and listen. 
  2. Smile – You must have a good time meeting people if you expect them to have a good time meeting you. A simple smile is welcoming and approachable. Remember what I shared about body language – it accounts for 55% of what you communicate. And if you don’t feel like smiling, fake it. 
  3. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language. Especially in escrow, spell it right. If you didn’t hear it the first time, ask for clarification. If you find this challenging, practice. Say their name in every email, make it the first thing you say when you greet them, and write it down. This will help make it stick.
  4. Be a good listener and encourage others to talk about themselves. I’ve talked about this before, so just a reminder to use the FORD or FAST techniques.
  5. Talk in terms of other people’s interests. Again, use the FORD or FAST methods to make it easy. We created FAST for our Pango Foundation Backpack Day since it can work better with younger people.
  6. Make the other person feel important, and do it sincerely. Show honest appreciation without expecting anything in return. Do this in your professional life, personal life, and with complete strangers. Everyone wants to feel important. 

As you go into the week ahead, pick one or two of these concepts, and give them a shot. Like I said last week, I guarantee you will notice a difference in your interactions, especially if you stick with them for the years to come. 

Life is good.

Jeff 

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