The other day I found myself in a very interesting conversation about strangers.
Her: “I always try to be as nice as possible to strangers”
Me: “Really? Why?”
Her: “Well, you never know who that person is and what if they’re the most important person in the World?”
Me: “So you assume everyone you meet/talk to is the most important person in the World?”
Her: “Precisely”
Me: I didn’t say anything just had a small explosion go off in my head.
My boss has always told me when going to a small town bar, make sure you treat the waitress like gold because she probably owns the place. I think this is a great metaphorical life lesson.
The person who I know who is the best at dealing with people does this all the time. You can see it when he talks to anyone, yes I mean anyone, he gives them the time of day, he truly cares about what they think and he makes them feel like they are the most important person in the world. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, this strategy works wonders for building your personal and professional relationships.
Where can you start? Remember peoples names more often. To anyone the most important word in the english language is his/her own name, if someone remembers it, it’s a sign of respect. Here’s a few tips on how to remember better.
If you have a story about treating a stranger really well that resulted in something amazingly spectacular I’d love to here about it in the comments below!
Related posts:
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- University of the Future
- Don’t be an Asshole
- You Can’t Hide Your Reputation
- The Man Who Changed My Life
About the Author
Hi, I'm Jeph. I love helping people make smarter business decisions. I consult, speak, facilitate and do project work on new marketing strategies (It's a cross between word-of-mouth and social media). I'm currently a working on a brand new marketing company and freelancing with a few special clients. The marketing industry is changing very rapidly and the only way to stay on top of it is by a philosophy of continuous learning. Do you have an information strategy? Are you learning faster than the world is changing? If not, we should talk. Follow me @JephMaystruck
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I continue enjoying reading your posts – thanks Jeff. Your boss is very wise indeed – and everyone is important in this world… on this path… in this time with you…
A wee story – always listened to the we kiddies stories and little girly that I once taught, a then 6-year old now 27, invited me to her wedding this year – I joyously traveled the 3 hours to be in attendance and was her only teacher there.
In awe…Ellyn : )
Ellyn Schaffner´s last [type] ..The Dance