How to Win Friends And Influence People: Chapter 08

"All leaders know that the road to a person's heart is to talk about the things he or she treasures most."

So if you want to interest people, do your research. Find out what subjects or hobbies interest them most, study up on those subjects so that you can be relatable and interesting. In sales they call it building rapport. How do you expect someone to like you, trust you, and do business with you if you hate everything he likes, and you make fun of it and ridicule it at every turn?

It's impossible.

People generally like people who are like them, or whom they want to be like. So if you don't show your guests that you are like them, or that you want to be like them, they have no reason to like you or to even interact with you.

They'll just smile and nod, and move along politely. How can you be agreeable to someone if you disagree with them on everything?

Find out what pleases your guests - what do they enjoy talking about? Are they members of any clubs, associations, organizations? That's a very good starting point. Do they have kids? Are they proud of their family? You can't go wrong with that.

Internet marketers had it right all along.

When you want to interest someone, talk about what's in it

for them... talk in terms of the other person's interests...