The foundation of a successful fisherman is his bait. The right bait catches more fish! Similarly, when it comes to the art of communicating with others, if you’re a leader, a seller, or a parent; the foundation of your success is how much you care about others and how much they appreciate it.

When you consistently put others first and strive to treat them with kindness and compassion, you build a rapport with them that can last a lifetime. The same is true in relationships. My friend Bob Burg, author of “The Go-Giver,” is a small book with a big message: the power of giving. It’s a form of bait to help build rapport, getting people to know, like, and trust you.

Control Your Emotions

Step one is to work on yourself, learn to manage your emotions, keep your ego in check and focus more on caring for others. Remember, it is not about you! Master the wisdom in this paragraph and people will start to notice you.

It is a lesson we all must learn at some point in our lives and generally do; the exceptions are the neurotic and narcists. They care for no one other than themselves, although they can be Svengali-like personalities with rapt followers.

In the life of a fisherman (seller), a good fisherman doesn’t fish with a rubber boot, they go out of their way to bait their hook with what the fish prefer. If you are finding it difficult to get people leaning into you and your ideas, ask yourself: Are you fishing for friends and relationships with a rubber boot?

If we want to make friends and influence others through kindness and consideration, we must first sincerely be kind and considerate toward others. When you put others before yourself, they will want to be around you because they like being treated well by those they respect, like, and can trust.

You can’t go wrong if you do your best to make others feel special. People will always appreciate your thoughtfulness, so why not give it a try? If you try to be considerate in ways that come naturally to you, such as paying attention to what someone says and remembering how they like their coffee in the morning, you will be amazed at how much goodwill this brings into your life.

This is the bait to use if you want to cause positive change with other people: You make yourself pleasant and nice, and others react positively toward you in return!

Being a good person doesn’t mean you need to go out of your way to make sure everyone loves you. It’s more important to simply be kind and considerate toward others. Why? Because it pays off in the long run, as it keeps people coming back time and time again.

If you aren’t getting the results that you want in your sales, marketing, and/or advertising, would it be crazy of me to ask you to find and use the bait that your customer is hungry for?

-courtesy Coach Phil Gilkes, phil@coachphil.ca

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