What Makes an 82-Year-Old Business Book Relevant? Dale Carnegie’s Classic Offers Timeless Advice
It’s a tall claim to say that a book will change your life, but this one has certainly had a profound impact on many people. Despite having been originally published 82 years ago, Dale Carnegie’s effervescent classic “How toWin Friends and Influence People” is still recommended by everyone who comes across it, and it’s one of the best-selling books of all time. In 2011, the book was No. 19 onTime’s most influential books list. How has it remained relevant in a massively different, technologically advanced world? Fundamentally, Carnegie’s book focuses on people, who may evolve, but whose basic needs don’t change much. We all need to feel valued, appreciated, and respected. By fulfilling these needs for your business associates, you will indeed win friends and influence them.When it comes to business, showing a genuine interest in the other person goes a long way toward building a lasting relationship, something we all know is key to converting leads into sales.With a message based on relationships, Carnegie’s book hasn’t grown According to a Nielsen study that surveyed thousands of consumers across 60 countries, 73 percent of millennials were willing to pay more for goods made ethically and sustainably.That’s no small figure, and it helps to explain why Everlane, a clothing company founded in 2010, is making a huge splash in the fashion industry.The company follows a policy of “radical transparency” and strives to provide its customers with information that most of its competitors would rather keep hidden. “We felt that the retail industry, and brands in particular, weren’t educating consumers in the way that we felt consumers want to be educated,” says Everlane CEO Michael Preysman.“Consumers want to know where their product comes from. Consumers want to know where their clothes are made.They want to know the factory.”To that end, Everlane carefully chooses the factories they work with and highlights them on their website. Every item they sell doesn’t just say where it was made;
stale with time. Here are three of his suggestions that you can implement today.
In the chapter entitled “Six Ways to Make People Like You,” Carnegie’s second suggestion is similarly straightforward:“Smile.” We’ve all read science on the psychological effects of smiling, but it’s still too easy to forget this simple gesture.
BeAuthentic Carnegie’s methods for winning people over are, at their core, about authenticity.“Show a genuine interest in others,” he instructs.“Give honest and sincere appreciation” and “Be a good listener.” Adopt this advice by paying extra attention when a client introduces themselves. A person’s name is important, because, according to Carnegie, it may be “the sweetest and most important sound in any language” to that individual. Be Nice Carnegie’s ideas are revolutionary in their simplicity.This is what makes almost anyone who reads the book able to implement them immediately and see results. As Robert Kelsey, author of several business and self-help books himself, points out, Carnegie’s first principle was simply “Be nice.”“That will always be an important thing to remember in whatever business you’re in,” Kelsey says.“His advice will always be relevant.”
Be Honest Be transparent with partners and clients, and as Carnegie suggests, be quick to admit when you’re wrong.When it comes to conflict, being right won’t win you anything — it’s better to avoid that lose-lose scenario and instead listen to your associate’s point of view. Respect their opinions. Even better, begin with something you know they’ll say an enthusiastic “yes” to.
Set your relationships up for success by implementing Carnegie’s timeless, genuine advice, and see the results for yourself. Everlane’s Ethical Products and Marketing Are Disrupting the Fashion Industry
it also lists the factory name, which you can then read about on their website.
willing to spend extra when they know where their money is going. Of course, none of that would matter if the clothes weren’t worth buying in the first place. Fast Company named Everlane one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies this year as recognition for building “the next-gen clothing brand.” In less than a decade since their 2010 founding, the company is now the envy of venture capital firms everywhere, boasting a valuation in excess of $250 million.Their success is a testament to the idea that consumers don’t have to be tricked or cajoled to buy a product.With a focus on ethics and transparency at every stage from manufacturing to marketing, Everlane has set a new model for how an apparel brand can grow and sustain success. Whether you sell clothes, dental cleanings, or legal services, you can stand to benefit from pushing your ethics to the forefront of your business.
And the company isn’t only transparent when it comes to sourcing and production; they also willingly divulge — and this may shock business owners — the cost, price, and markup on every garment.That may sound insane, but when your markup is about half that of standard apparel retailers (2–3 times versus 5–6), it’s actually a big selling point. Consumers, Everlane has found, are
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