Once I made the decision to be an Entrepreneur I knew I was going to have to interact with people.
Ever since I was a young boy I always wanted to become a Millionaire. In order for that to happen, there must be a value for value exchange in everything that you do. The better you serve others, the more your business will prosper.
One of the first books I read was, "Personality Plus" by Florence Litteaur. I knew it was imperative I learned how to connect with people, and since every person has a different set of personalities, it was important to learn about them.
Since reading that book, and several others on developing/improving people skills, it has become quite evident to me that these should be mandatory reading, not only for Entrepreneurs, but for everybody in any field.
Today, as an example, I was contacted by a gentleman from Hampton, VA. He responded to one of my ads in regards to carpet installation I posted on Craigslist. (Yes my wife and I actually enjoy installing small carpet jobs, it is a hobby of ours!)
Anyhow, his initial request was for me to look at his rental property and give him some options for replacing the carpet. My daughter and I went to the property, measured the job, then decided we were going to go price some materials in order to get him the best deal possible. (Mind you all we were asked to do was measure the job - always under promise and over deliver. Again this falls into the category of serving others, you know that value for value exchange deal we are talking about)
Long story short we went to Menards and did find him a great deal. Now here is where people skills become extremely important!
Rafael was the sales person on the floor and his people skills were terrible. Not to be tough here, but if it wasn't for my knowing what I wanted, there is no way this guy would have sold me anything. (If all sales people at Menards are like this guy, they are easily losing at least 50% of their potential sales!)
Not only were his people skills terrible, but his posture was bad, he didn't present a handshake when speaking with me about meeting my needs, nor did he show any real interest in helping me with my questions. (He was simply looking for the sale, no interest in serving the customer whatsoever)
There was even a slight problem with the amount of carpet we needed versus the amount they had in stock. Instead of Rafael making a suggestion to save the sale, I had to recommend that he contact his manager, and find us a similar carpet to make up the shortage so we can still close the sale. Once he contacted his manager, whom gave me the deal I was looking for, we did finally do business. (I handled the problem, not my potential client, just as Rafael should have handled it, NOT ME)
Throughout this entire process, I was in constant communication with the homeowner and made everything happen for him. I WAS CONNECTING AND SERVING, which, in the process, established Trust and Credibility with my client. That is a sure formula for repeat business and excellent word of mouth advertising.
In the end, the only difference between Rafael and myself was simply the ability to connect with people, and always, regardless of the perceived situation, serve people and be willing to go out of your way to offer value to them. (That, and I have probably read 100's more books than he has!)
Always remember, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
Serve, serve, serve, help enough people get what they want and you will ultimately have everything you want! Spend some time on developing your people skills and watch how you will become more capable of connecting, establishing trust, and ultimately achieving your wildest dreams.
Everything in life is a value for value exchange. The more value you offer the marketplace, the more prosperity you will experience on your success journey!
In Christ,
Ron
This article was originally published on Qondio.
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