Remember
the last time you were paid a sincere compliment? Remember how
good it made you feel? Remember how you immediately wanted to
do something in return for the person who complimented you?
Paying
someone a sincere compliment is a great way to build a relationship
or begin a conversation. It makes the other person feel important
and acknowledges their uniqueness. We all need to feel this. We
all like to hear complimentary comments to help reinforce our
self image.
A
compliment costs you nothing to give and can be the most rewarding
gift you can give to another human being. Theres a wonderful story
from one of the old time sales trainers, Willie Gale, who was
speaking about compliments to a group of salesmen back in the
1950s.
One of the men of the group, a door-to-door salesman asked Willie
what he would do if he rang the doorbell and the woman who answered
was all disheveled, dressed in a housecoat, looking absolutely
awful. (Remember, this was the 1950s). Willie responded I would
just stand there and keep looking until I found something to compliment
her on.
A
compliment must be sincere. People see right through false ones
and ones without sincerity. Many a clothing sales person lost
a sale by telling me something looked good on me when I knew instinctively
it did not.
Make
a habit of freely offering sincere compliments to people you encounter.
This is so important, especially in our hurried, harried and seemingly
impersonal society. There will be times when the compliment a
person receives from you, a total stranger, is the only nice comment
they hear that day. You can make a persons day with a simple nicety,
spoken with caring and sincerity.
