Performance & Success Advice Blog Post # 19 - The Value of a Name

Tonight's post is going to be short and sweet.  It's actually quite funny that I chose this topic last night as I was laying in bed and I'll tell you why.  

Today I had a conference call with an awesome young man named Eric Papp, a Generation Y Speaking Professional.  Near the end of the call, he was telling me about this one article he wrote about the The Value of a Name...and I couldn't help but laugh from the irony.

The point is, I am not the only one that realizes The Value of a Name, and Eric isn't either. Dale Carnegie actually dedicates an entire section in his book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, to this type of thinking.  On a side note, this is an AWESOME book and I would highly recommend anyone who hasn't read it to read it!

Anyways, the point is simple:

• A name uniquely identifies that specific person
  
• People take pride in their name!
• People don't hear their name enough!
• People typically only hear their name when they do something wrong...I know I can recall many times when I did something bad and I knew it when I heard "JEFFREYYYYYY!!!!" I bet you can too!
• When you say a person's name it shows that you are recognizing them, and only them
• It makes people feel significant!  What would you rather hear..."hey you..." or your name?
• If it is someone who you have met before, it shows that they they are significant to you
• AND the list goes on and on...

Here are some tips to capture The Value of a Name:

• Strive to remember the names of people you meet!
• Call your customer service representative by their name (waiter/waitress, flight attendant, bellman, front desk attendant, etc.)
• Make an effort to not only call your customers by name every time you see them, speak to them, and interact with them but also to remember it!
• If you don't know how to pronounce someone's name, either ask them, or practice pronouncing it correctly!  It is likely that their name is mispronounced frequently, so use that to your advantage.  (Read How to Win Friends and Influence People for an awesome story about how pronouncing a buyer's name correctly caused a huge sale to be closed)

Using someone's name, and remember it is one sure way to be remembered and is a great way of making new friends!  Don't believe me?

Hear it from the mouth of Dale Carnegie himself: 

"If you want to win friends, make it a point to remember them. If you remember my name, you pay me a subtle compliment; you indicate that I have made an impression on you. Remember my name and you add to my feeling of importance." AND

"Remember that a man’s name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language."

Questions?  Comments?  Blog with me!

Performance & Success Advice Blog Post # 6 - The Power of Positivity

Positivity is essential to high levels of Performance & Success.

Here are some quotes from highly successful individuals on positivity:

• "If you learn from defeat, you haven't really lost." - Zig Ziglar
  
• "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." - Henry Ford
  
• "Failure is impossile." - Susan B. Anthony
• "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." Albert Einstein
• "Remember happiness doesn't depend on who you are or what you have; it depends solely upon what you think." - Dale Carnegie

A positive attitude is what will keep you through the ups and downs, highs and lows, and challenges of both life and business.

We all know of the concept of a "silver lining." This concept is a great way to look at life, and every situation for that matter. Look for the "silver lining," or the good in every situation. This will help you stay positive and recover from adversity.

One of the most important things you can do every day is waking up with a positive attitude. Work on doing this, and your days will be more productive, more fulfilled, and happier!

Positivity is something you can be born with. It is also something though that you can learn. I would recommend reading up on positivity and listening to motivation and positive audiobooks/programs.

Below are some links to some great books and audiobooks on positivity. I like the audiobooks particularly because it may sometimes be hard to take 30 minutes to read a book, but most of us drive at least 30 minutes a day - why not use that time to learn?