How to Win Friends and Influence People
I starting reading through Dale Carnegie’s famous book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” for the second time recently and came across one of his tips.
“Become genuinely interested in people.”
For some reason, it immediately made me think of what the Advice Network is trying to accomplish. Here’s a small excerpt from Carnegie’s book:
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
How profound is that? It’s incredibly simple, yet amazingly ignored by so many of us in our day-to-day lives. By showing interest in what other people have to say and answering the questions that they want to have answered, you have a much better chance of building a relationship than if you were to talk about yourself.
Keep in mind that when people know you, like you, and trust you – they are much more likely to buy from you.
So how does this apply to you and the Advice Network?
When you’re writing an advice article, try to keep the reader in mind. Don’t worry about telling them that you’re the right person for the job. Don’t explain why they should come to you for whatever services you provide. Instead, talk about what interests them! Solve their possible problems and answer their most urgent questions.
Figure out what your reader wants to hear and give it to them – without trying to sell them on “you.”
