SW Maxim #1: Be Nice
April 24, 2019
Read along as I share Savvy Words Maxims for marketing and PR excellence. SW Maxim #1: Be Nice. Yes, I’ve heard that nice guys/gals finish last. That’s no longer true in the Experience Economy. Attitude is everything.
The wise writer Maya Angelou once said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
So, be nice.
Not only do we offer our services for whatever we do (in my case for marketing and public relations), but we provide an experience to those around us. It should be authentic, positive, skillful, and memorable. That will create an atmosphere of excellence and be the best reason for others to refer business to you!
We all have choices. Mine is to be nice, helpful, kind, and uplifting as often as I can when interacting with other human beings – clients, media, friends and family. It isn’t always easy, I can tell you that. I’m as human as the next person – with all of my faults and frailties. Patience isn’t my strong suit. I make mistakes. Plenty. But I always apologize and learn from them. It’s the nice thing to do. I guess I equate being nice with doing the right thing and playing fair.
Being nice does not mean being a doormat. It does not mean letting yourself be taken for granted. It does mean: be approachable. Be pleasant. Exhibit a positive attitude. These characteristics will attract people to you, open doors, make difficult tasks a little bit easier. Didn’t Mary Poppins tell us that “in every task that must be done, there is an element of fun?” A spoonful of sugar does go a long way!
Keys to Trust
My whip-smart colleague, Julie Brown, said in a recent talk that people like to do business with people they know, like, and trust. (That’s from a great book by Bob Burg, Endless Referrals.) We have to earn trust with honesty, reliability, and integrity. And, yes, by being nice.
Our word is our bond. Make it worth something.