Michael CohnWhen it comes to your business dealings and the relationships that you have been able to build with other people, both online and in person, there are qualities that stand out. Those are qualities that make the other person like you (and eventually trust you) and that make you like the other person.
Your “likeability” factor
In life and in business, people will not be willing to interact with you if they don’t find you pleasant to deal with. That is not to say that you need to be best friends; however, you do need to establish a compatibility with each other that will allow you to understand each other and create some sort of synergy between you. You may think that it is very easy to do but sometimes it may be more challenging than you think. At the very beginning of the relationship (before you have even had a chance to really get to know the other person on any level), you need to like the person enough to want to pursue any sort of relationship with him or her. The only way that you can get people to like you is if you are reliable, you are driven by your integrity, and you are able to empathize with the other person (you can put yourself in that person’s shoes). If you don’t possess those three traits, it just won’t work out.
Reliability: One of the qualities that you must possess as a business owner is reliability. Your clients (and potential clients) must know without a doubt that they can rely on you. If they need you, you must be there for them. If you are able to establish that type of relationship, the next time (and every time) that the person needs that particular thing, you will be the one that will come to mind. That is exactly what you want to happen. Along with reliability, of course, comes dependability and consistency. Your clients must always be able to count on the fact that they can expect the exact quality from you each and every time.
Empathy: Sympathy is good but it isn’t critical in the way that empathy is. You must have the ability to wrap your mind around what the other person is thinking, feeling, and experiencing. If you are empathetic, those people will connect with you on a deep, emotional level and the bond that you share will be indestructible. If you connect with the other person as two human beings who have shared the same experience, you will be golden.
Integrity: Integrity is a critical quality in every aspect of life. Everywhere you turn, integrity is driving people to make the right decisions personally and professionally. Without integrity, the success that you are reaching for will be empty and meaningless. If you allow your decent values to drive everything that you do and everything that you are, you can’t go wrong. Undoubtedly, there will be times when you find it difficult to do that right thing if doing the easy thing is more appealing. However, the result may not be what you hope for if you choose that path. When it comes to integrity, the more you choose to make the right, decent choices, the easier it will be to keep making those choices. Test it out. You will see.
Conclusion
If you can manage to be reliable, empathetic, and allow yourself to be driven by integrity, the more appealing you and your business will be to other people and the more those other people will want to be a part of your inner circle. Another important way to establish that deep connection is to truly listen to what the other person is saying and what they want. If you show them that they are important to you, they will stick with you. If you show the other person that you are genuine and that you are motivated by solving their problems, they will like you and they will want to do business with you.
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