Mary Kay Ash, was an enterprise unto herself (ask any woman who has purchased Mary Kay products) and is known as one of the most prolific American businesswomen in history. At her death in 2001, she had amassed a fortune of $98 million, and her company had more than $1.2 billion in sales. Her sales force was more than 800,000 in at least three dozen counties. Nobody would argue that she had a very special way of guiding and inspiring her representatives, and my assumption is that they were more successful because of that.
I read a quote by Mary Kay Ash and it has guided and inspired me; I want to share it with you. “Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, “Make Me Feel Important!” She goes on to say that “not only will you succeed in sales, but (more importantly to me) you will succeed in life.”
What is it that we can do to make someone feel important? Making eye contact, remembering a small or important fact about your last interaction with them, a kind word, or easiest of all, a smile. Our eyes twinkle and soften when we smile, inviting a warm response. Please never underestimate the power of that smile! We all know how difficult it has been wearing a mask and not being able to see someone’s smile. We miss that connection with another.
When I state that it is important to say a kind word, I am not suggesting, by any means, being disingenuous with false flattery. People can see right through that and lose any interest in what follows. I am suggesting that we work just a bit harder to be interested in others, rather than being caught up in our own thoughts. I have found that those who show an interest learn and grow so much from what they discover. We are an amazing and unique species and have so much to share.
We can all make a difference when we offer kindness with sincerity…return phone calls or texts, email messages or whatever is the method of the day; make eye contact and show your interest; smile warmly and let your eyes twinkle; and most of all, listen to what is being said. What we learn from others may just be the key to what will move us forward, and we will feel wonderful at the same time!
