The Big Little Difference
The Little Difference That Makes a Big Difference
What is the most important word in the whole universe?
According to Dale Carnegie, in his classic book How to Win Friends and Influence People, it’s a person’s name. Your name is music to your ears.
Think about it. You could be in a noisy, bustling restaurant, and if someone just murmurs your name, their voice cuts through the chaos and gets your attention every time. If you sincerely remember and use a person’s name when you are engaging them in a professional or personal encounter, it shows that you care and that they are important.
A couple of months ago I wrote an article about a next level experience I had at a cafe in Sydney. One of the things that made it next level, was the fact that they remembered my name.
Last year I attended a workshop ran by communications expert, Colin James. His workshop was amazing and I would recommend it to anyone in the presentation and communication game. But for me, the difference that made the difference happened in the first 30 seconds. I hadn’t met Colin before, and as I walked into the venue, Colin was at the entrance and greeted me by my first name. I felt like a rockstar!
I know that this idea isn’t new or novel. But most people admit that they are bad with names. I often hear people say, “people’s names just go in one ear and out the other”. So if everyone is so bad at remembering people’s names, this could create a massive opportunity for anyone who is in a role were they have to influence others.
If you get good at remembering and using people’s names, whilst everyone else has the limiting self belief that they are bad with names, then you will stand out. This subtle little difference could be a massive point of difference.
I'm interested to hear your thoughts. How can you leverage this idea to stand out from the “in one ear and out the other” crowd?
Mark Windust is the founder of Mastermind Business Solutions Ltd and is an influential Thought Leader in the areas of Sales Strategy, Sales Leadership and Sales Performance. Since Mastermind’s inception in 2007, Mark has worked with 1000's of business leaders, salespeople and entrepreneurs’ to help them transform their sales results.