Dale Carnegie
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Week 14
“Get the other person saying, ‘Yes, yes’ immediately.”
When meeting with clients, sometimes conversations can go south. Someone might misunderstand you, or he or she might decide they do not want your work. Situations like this put your character under a microscope. It becomes evident who you are about and what your work is for. If you are all about yourself, it is going to start bleeding in these moments.
Reality check: if your client becomes hesitant about a certain factor of your business or is questioning your product, you are given an opportunity to let the sincerity of heart turn things around. Dale Carnegie discusses these types of situations and his response is to immediately do this: Get the other person saying, “Yes, yes” immediately.
There are a few ways to go about this, which Dale Carnegie alludes to:
1. Emphasize that you both want the same thing rather than focusing on your differences. You want to bring your conversation back to common ground. Talk about the vision that first brought you to the table.
2. Ask a gentle question, instead of telling them they are wrong. If your product does not measure up to their expectations, ask questions. Don’t get defensive. This is key. First, this gives you the opportunity to maintain the relationship. Second, this allows you to learn and improve. It does not pay to argue.
3. Focus on communicating what you want to do for them. Remind them of how your work and your expertise will benefit their vision and goal. Sometimes we can get so bogged down in the small details of one hiccup in the road, that we lose sight of our common ground.
4. Focus on talking about your clients’ needs before your own needs. Remember you are here for your client. You do your job best when you understand their need.
How you handle this situation shines light on the integrity of your work and of your character. In moments like these, you can really impress a person where they are saying, “yes, yes,” as they are being understood, or you can get the phone hung up on you.