7 Habits of Highly Likeable People

7 Habits of Highly Likeable People

By Peter Economy of Inc., August 13, 2014

Everyone wants to be well-liked; it’s in our nature as people. But it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly it is that makes us more likeable. Is it a magic charisma that attracts people to us? Or maybe being outgoing and friendly? Or having an agreeable personality that doesn’t put people off?

Though there are plenty of theories floating around about what makes someone well-liked, here are seven things that well-liked people always do—and that you can do today to make yourself a more likeable and magnetic person.

1. Don’t Judge

No one likes being judged, but it can often be difficult to avoid judging the actions of the people we work with or who work for us. And as much as we may try to disguise our judgement, our physical responses can be pretty transparent.

Well-liked people know this, and instead of trying to hide it, they make the conscious choice to not judge others. If they are managers or supervisors, they make rational decisions about people based on data and results, not emotional reactions to personalities. In addition, they have accepted the fact that they can’t, and shouldn’t, try to control or to change the lives or opinions of others.

2. Get Personal

Well-liked people have mastered the delicate dance of getting personal without getting too personal, especially in a work environment. They break down walls by getting real—telling you about their issues and problems but without dwelling on them. They also tell you about the good things happening in their lives, without bragging or trying to “look good.” Their genuine willingness to be vulnerable and to take things to a personal level naturally attracts people to them.

3. Ask People About Themselves

Rather than spending an entire conversation talking about themselves, well-liked people instead put the focus on the people they’re with. If you don’t bother to ask questions about the person you’re with, or give the person a chance to talk about him or herself, you’ll put the person off by clearly demonstrating that you care more about making yourself look good than actually getting to know the other person.

Well-liked people know that people enjoy talking about themselves, and they ask questions to prompt them to do just that—building stronger relationships and their own likeability.

4. Listen

There’s no point in asking questions if you aren’t going to listen. Active listening—where you respond to what people are saying with timely verbal and nonverbal prompts, conversation reinforcements, and questions—is a skill that well-liked people have mastered. And they make a point of not looking at their smartphones or computer screens while they’re talking to someone else. This makes the other person feel important, which builds your likeability.

5. Remember

Of course, to remember, you must first be a good listener. Think about a time when your boss remembered something important in your life—a child’s graduation, or your upcoming birthday or wedding anniversary. Likeable people remember things about those they work with, and they make sure they let those people know that they remember. Listening and remembering shows that you value your conversations and time spent with other people, which in turn leads them to value their time spent with you.

6. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously

At appropriate times, likeable people joke, laugh, and are just plain fun to be around. Who doesn’t want to be around someone who can share a good laugh? They have unorthodox business meetings, and they like to surprise the people they work with. You’ll meet at the office one day and at the baseball field the next. These people know the importance of lighthearted fun on the job, and they try to incorporate it into their daily life, at work and at home.

7. Be Hospitable

Likeable people know the meaning of hospitality, and they aren’t afraid to invite you into their office or even their home for a meal, a meeting, or a cup of coffee. Opening up your office to someone is an act that never goes unnoticed, and opening up your home to someone is like opening your heart to that person.

If you aren’t already doing these things in your business life, try taking on a few, and watch how quickly the people around you respond. You might be surprised at just how likeable you can be with just a few changes in the way you treat others.

A choice your prospect can't refuse.

A choice your prospect can't refuse.

Everybody does network marketing every day, but they just don't get paid for it.

We constantly recommend restaurants, music CDs, movies, places to go shopping, and even places to take vacations. Recommending and promoting is in our blood.

That means every prospect you talk to does network marketing, right?

So why not give your prospect a choice he can't refuse?

Simply say:

"You already do network marketing every day. You can get paid for it ... or you can continue doing it for free. The choice is up to you. And if you choose to continue doing it for free, that's okay. Charity work is good. It makes the world a better place."

And then let your prospect decide.

Big Al

What your prospect really wants to hear.

What your prospect really wants to hear.

Bill Jayne says it all in this famous quote:

"It doesn't matter what you're selling. Your direct marketing should never be about the product. It should always be about the prospect."

How much of your current opportunity presentation is about your company, products, and compensation plan?

How much of your current opportunity presentation is about your prospect?

Great recruiters know that their presentation should be about the prospect's favorite subject: the prospect.

If your presentation is 100% about your company, products, and compensation plan ... think about including more about your prospect. It works.

Big Al

Two great words ... "which means"

Two great words ...

I did a webinar for FortuneNow.com members on creating a personal networking group. One of the skills to master is how to describe our business or product in a way that the prospect will understand.

We get excited about the hype, the research, the big names and our jargon, but what do those really communicate to the prospect? Usually, not much.

If you have big words or vague descriptions, use these two magic words:

"which means"

And now we are forced to explain our offer in better words.

Here is an example:

Distributor: "Our anti-oxidizing molecule coating laminating technology patent is awesome. You have to try this for 30 days."

Now, let's try it again using those two magic words:

Distributor: "Our product has an anti-oxidizing molecule coating laminating technology patent, which means these special ingredients go right to the brain, helping your grandchild be the smartest kid on his street."

So what are you saying that is not clear to the prospect? How about adding "which means" after some of these words:

* residual income
* matching bonus
* downline
* upline
* Senior Supervisor
* unencumbered volume
* distributor

Try it, and enjoy.

Big Al

Read more

The Career Ladder Isn’t In The Office
By Sean Johnson

Read more
My college mentor grew up in a poor African American family in Alabama. He managed to be the first in his family to get into college, attending West Point. He was a decorated officer before getting his MBA at Harvard. When I met him, he ran economic development in Colorado Springs.

When I asked him what he most attributed his success to, he said it was because he started reading and never stopped.

He believed knowledge was the key to getting what you wanted in life. So much so that his life goal was to build libraries in underprivileged communities like the one he grew up in.

He always asked job applicants what book they were currently reading. The A players were folks who could answer without hesitation. They usually were in the middle of 3 of 4 books, and at least one of them was professional in nature.

Reading gives you a huge head start on your peers who don’t.

You’re more likely to identify strategies and tactics from other industries that might work in your company.

You’re more likely to avoid making common pitfalls that otherwise would only come with experience.

You’re able to transfer that knowledge in your organization, creating new capabilities for your company.

And you’re more interesting to talk to.

It’s unlikely you’re going to have a conversation at a networking event about the 4 P’s of marketing or some other concept you picked up in your textbooks. But it’s very likely you’ll have a conversation about the long tail, or the 10,000 hour rule, or the build-measure-learn loop.

Anthony Robbins used to say that if you spend 1 hour a day learning about a particular topic, you’d know more about that subject than 99.999% of the world within a year.

Even if you have only 30 minutes a night, you can easily read a book a week. Maybe you’re not an expert, but I guarantee you’ll know more than your peers.

Maybe you don’t know where to start. At the end of this post I’ve included a list of my favorites to get you started. One less excuse.

Read. Take good notes. Repeat.

Aggressively Build Your Network

The Career Ladder Isn’t In The Office
By Sean Johnson

Aggressively Build Your Network
A strong network accelerates everything you do in your career. You should spend considerable time building yours if you aren’t already.

A good network gives you smart people to bounce ideas off of.

A good network gives you access to information and knowledge that are otherwise hard to come by.

A good network gives you introductions to consulting or freelance work that can give you more reps.

A good network will lead to more potential partnerships or revenue opportunities for your current company.

A good network will become the source of your next gig/case.

If you start your own business, your network will be the source of your early customers, your best employees and your most favorable sources of capital.

Rather than going home or going to the bar with your college buddies, you should be hitting up Meetup groups.

You should join your local chapter of whatever professional organization is most relevant to your career.

You should be grabbing coffee or drinks or breakfast with new people every single week.

And you should always stay in touch, actively looking for opportunities to help your network — to make new introductions, offer advice or share knowledge.

Your network can become your most powerful career asset, and the time you’re spending watching Korean Sitcom can be spent building it.

Go Network!

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