Simple post today, thanks to Napoleon Hill, author of “Think and Grow Rich” (one of the best selling books of all time). He wrote about a specific set of habits that make people so likable that others go out of their way to help them. Amazing.
How valuable might these specific habits be to your average network marketer? Try millions.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby in “The Great Gatsby.”
Hill wrote in his essay “Develop A Pleasing Personality” that “your personality is the sample case which shows what you have to offer. A pleasing personality can become your greatest asset-because with it you can sell your way through life on your own terms.” In introducing this observation, he tells the story of Charles M. Schwab – who’s “pleasing personality” took him from day laborer to a high executive position at a then ungodly salary. I ran the numbers, check this out:
What cost $75000 in 1910 would cost $1,847,693.65 in 2013.
Also, if you were to buy exactly the same products in 2013 and 1910,
they would cost you $75000 and $2979.75 respectively.
So at his annual salary of $75,000 he was already in the top .01%. Get this – his personality is cited (by his employer, Andrew Carnegie) to have earned him multiple $1,000,000 bonuses on top of that (then outrageous) salary.
Interested in the particulars of this “Million Dollar Personality”?
Adapted from Napoleon Hill’s essay:
1. Develop a positive mental attitude and let is be seen and felt by others.
With endless negative stories and drama in social media every day, choosing to be different in this way will definitely set you apart.
2. Train your voice to be pleasant by always speaking in a carefully disciplined, friendly tone.
You know a great communicator when you hear one – they are intentionally confident with a friendly tone!
3. Keep your mind alert and be willing to listen when others are conversing with you.
He goes on to say that making sure YOU’RE heard feels good in the moment, but it never attracts people or makes friends.
4. Maintain your composure in all circumstances.
Being flexible, pleasant, never “losing your temper”, remembering that silence is often more powerful than speaking in anger.
5. Be patient. Proper timing of your words and acts will give you a big advantage over impatient people.
This is especially important in the sales profession.
6. Keep an open mind on all subjects and towards all people.
I love what he says on this point – “Intolerance does not lead to wisdom.” As tempting as it is for most of us to only associate with like-minded people, doing so will stunt our growth and close us off from certain opportunities.
7. Learn to smile when speaking with others.
Simple, and critically important. Hill wrote about Franklin D. Roosevelt’s greatest asset being his “million dollar smile”, which allowed people to lower their guards during conversation.
8. Be tactful in your speech and manners. Not all thoughts you have need be expressed (even if they are true).
Is it worth offending people because you believe something to be true?
9. Be prompt in your decisions after you have all the necessary facts on which to base them.
He goes on to say “…procrastination reveals to others a negative trait of character … associated with fear”
10. Engage in at least one good deed each day.
Look for reasons to praise others. Look for ways to serve others, without any expectation of reward.
11. When you meet defeat, instead of brooding over it, search carefully for that “seed of an equivalent benefit” it is sure to contain.
Find that valuable lesson that often is only learned through failure.
12. Praise the good traits of others, but don’t rub it on where it is not deserved or spread it too thickly.
We (humans) love being listened to. Using conversations as an opportunity to learn about another person makes you extra likable.
13. Have someone whom you trust, who has the courage to be honest with you, point out to you traits of personality you could do without.
Quoting Richard Feloni from Business Insider: “Successful people don’t pretend to be likable; they are likable because they care about their conduct and reputation.”
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