Warren Buffett on Communicating

If Dale Carnegie were alive today, what would he say about Social Media? The same thing

By Corey Perlman, eBootcamp

Here are 9 Dale Carnegie Human Relations Principles that are just as relevant today as ever before.

1. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

Engagement is the key to success with social media. A Facebook page that is just a platform for a business to talk about themselves will not draw the attention of people. In the world of the Internet, you listen by asking questions. When you ask questions, you tend to garner more engagement because people love to be heard. And when people comment, your page spreads.

2. Talk in terms of the other personʼs interests.

A question Iʼm often asked is “What should I post to my social media profiles?” My answer is always the same. Whatever your audience thinks is valuable. Value can be in the form of an intriguing article, a thought-provoking question, an inspiring quote, a humorous video, or something else. The more interested they are, the more likely they are to engage in the conversation.

3. Smile.

How do you smile on the computer? :)? No, itʼs not that easy. What Mr. Carnegie meant is that a smile helps warm people up to you. And when writing content on the Internet, a smile takes the form of a positive attitude. In the world of social media, this can come in the form of a LinkedIn endorsement, a Like on Facebook or a Re-Tweet (restate something someone else says) on Twitter. 

4. Arouse in the other person an eager want.

Most people know that if you aggressively sell your products or services on your social media profiles, people will run for the exits as if there was a 3-alarm fire. So donʼt do it. Instead, find ways to creatively get people to “want” to learn more about your products or services. An example of this would be a free preview of a Dale Carnegie Course or a low-priced workshop that is easy for a new prospect to say yes to. By keeping the risk low, youʼve successfully aroused an eager want and found a creative way to get me to

the next step in the sales process.

5. Remember that a personʼs name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

If youʼve used Twitter, youʼve most likely seen the letters “RT” in many different tweets (Twitter posts). This stands for “re-tweet” and means that you are restating what someone else originally said. The proper way to do this is to add the personʼs Twitter handle (or name) to that message. This is to give them the recognition for originally writing what you considered to be a valuable tweet. When you do this, it makes that person feel important and they, in turn, are likely to return the favor and re-tweet one of your future messages. When they do this, your twitter handle is hyperlinked and so anyone who reads their tweet can easily click on your name and connect with you. So would Mr. Carnegie have been successful on Twitter? Well, he would have used a personʼs name in every tweet he posted and, therefore, would have had thousands of people very happy with him and ready to return the favor. And thatʼs a very successful Twitter strategy.

6. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.

This pertains to negative reviews on the Internet. Now that people can vent their frustration behind a computer screen, these nasty-grams seem to be more frequent and a lot more damaging. So when confronted with criticism on the web, the best thing to do is avoid, or ignore, if at all possible. By defending yourself, all you will do is fuel the fire and, unfortunately, give more recognition to the critic as well as the content they have written. Do your best to rectify the situation or the next best thing is to simply ignore the negative and work on getting your champion customers to come to your defense by writing a positive review.

7. Throw down a challenge

Having a blog that nobody reads is no fun. Having a Facebook page for your business with no connections is both lonely and downright depressing. So we need to be proactive in getting people to connect with our social media profiles. Mr. Carnegie was right again as the best way to get people excited about connecting with you is to throw down a challenge. An example of this is a recent contest we have done with local Dale Carnegie Franchises. Each Franchise donated $100 and the first Franchise to 1000 Facebook connections got to donate the total amount collected to a local charity. The Franchises were able to promote this contest to their customers and class members

and everyone was anxious to help out as it was for a very good, local cause. The result of this challenge was every Franchise who participated saw an increase in support to their Facebook page.

8. Give honest, sincere appreciation

Linkedin is a powerful networking tool geared more towards businesses and

professionals than itʼs counterpart, Facebook. Studies show that roughly 80% of companies check Linkedin before hiring an employee and many of those same companies also review other businesses before purchasing a product or service. A nice feature that Linkedin offers is the ability to post recommendations from other people on your profile. This allows others to sell you instead of having to sell yourself which can appear more like bragging. One way to increase the number of recommendations you have is to go out and give recommendations to others. When you do this, the person receiving the recommendation is asked by Linkedin to approve or reject your recommendation and, more importantly, if they would like to return the favor by giving you a recommendation as well. By following Mr. Carnegieʼs advice, you can give others sincere appreciation for something theyʼve done for you while also building your recommendations at the same time. A win-win! 

9. Become genuinely interested in other people.

Few times in my life have I been truly speechless, but what else is there to say? If you follow only one of these principles when using social media, just follow this one. Truly become interested in those you are connected with on the web, and positive things will begin to happen for you and your business.

So would Mr. Carnegie be successful in social media? You bet he would. My guess is heʼd have literally hundreds of thousands of friends, fans, or followers, but theyʼd all truly feel that they had a friend in Mr. Carnegie. Heʼd probably tell them to just call him Dale. :)

Leave a Lasting Impression

Making a good impression the first time you meet someone is very important because it is what people remember the most. Your employer and employees will appreciate if you are pleasant and warm the first time meeting you, but it should not stop there. It is crucial that they continue to have a positive impression, trust and respect you. The following steps should get you started on leaving a wonderful and lasting impression.

1. Smile - Always have a smile on your face when you first meet someone. It makes you look friendly and confident. People like someone that smiles, because they seem approachable and easy to talk to. This makes others feel at ease as well, especially your coworkers.

2. Be a good listener - By listening attentively to others, you open the doors to trusting you. People love talking about themselves so ask them questions and listen. When devoting your attention to others instead of talking about yourself, it shows that you are truly interested. This will make you stand out because everyone appreciates a good listener.

3. Look them in the eye - To show others you are easily approachable and feel comfortable, shake their hand firmly, look them directly in the eye and smile. This never fails! It creates a connection between the two parties meeting. Everyone loves someone that looks confident and friendly.

4. Remember names -  People love the sound of their own name, therefore, it is important to remember names. It is not always easy to remember someone’s name, especially if you are meeting a group of people at once, but try to remember. It shows that you are paying attention and interested in what they are saying.  A good way to do practice is to repeat the name out loud after meeting someone. Try to mention the name several times in the conversation so it remains in your mind. Another way to remember someone’s name is to find a connection or characteristic between the name and the person.

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Effective First Impressions

Each customer is different, but certain basic principles apply to nearly all customers, and you can safely assume that most customers are looking for the same things in their interactions with you.

To be treated with courtesy:
Even rude people dislike being treated rudely. Common courtesies go a long way towards expressing respect to your customers. Good manners, like saying "please" and "thank you," listening attentively, and expressing understanding, are courtesies that nearly everyone appreciates.

To be heard:
Every customer has a unique situation, issue, and desired resolution. Even though a customer's circumstances may seem identical to the circumstances of many other customers, each customer typically still wants to talk through their issues, and your role is to listen.

To get what they want quickly:
Customers are on the move today, and you are just one stop on their list of errands. While there are exceptions to this preference, you can assume that the faster you address the customer's issues, the happier they will be.

To be satisfied with their transaction:
Every customer wants a satisfactory end result and a hassle-free encounter with a customer service professional. Your primary goal in serving the customer is to leave them feeling positive about your organization.

To deal with someone who is knowledgeable:
Customers come to you for your expertise, advice, and experience, as well as for the products and services that you provide. They expect you to be able to answer their questions or know where to find answers.

To deal with a decision maker:
A customer's life is easier if one person can provide answers and make decisions about the resolution of the problem. Customers don't want to have to repeat their requests over and over as they are referred to other people for decisions.

To be appreciated:
Customers have a wide range of options. You should never take for granted their willingness to do business with your organization. It takes little time to express your appreciation for their business, and it sends a positive, reinforcing message to the customer.

Warren Buffett on improving your communications skills and what it can mean to you.

More nuggets from Omaha

From the The Columbus Dispatch May 29, 2011

Here are some words of wisdom from superinvestors Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger from the recent Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, paraphrased:

• On what young people should study: Do anything you can do to improve your own skills - you never know when it's going to pay off later on. The one diploma Buffett has hanging on his wall is from a Dale Carnegie course on public speaking. Communication skills are what he most recommends developing.

Read the whole story here