The Lion King | 25
Customer Service
Relationship
Management:
7 ways to make
people feel important
By Gabriel Odang
T
he key to excellent relationships with
others is quite simple: MAKE THEM
FEEL IMPORTANT. These simple rules
can be your gateway to having a great
relationship with those around you,
whether they are clients, co-workers,
family or friends.
1. Accept people the way they are:
One of the deepest cravings of human
nature is to be accepted by other
people without judgment, evaluation,
or criticism. Because most people
are judgmental and critical, to be
unconditionally accepted by another
person raises that person’s self-esteem,
reinforces his or her self-image, and
makes that person feel happy about
him or herself. When you look at other
people and give them a genuine smile,
they feel happier about themselves.
Their self-esteem goes up. They feel
more valuable and important.
2. Show your appreciation for others:
Whenever you appreciate another
person for anything that he or she has
done or said, you raise that person’s
self-esteem and make him or her feel
more important. Expressions of appre-
ciation – from small nods and smiles all
the way through to cards, letters, and
gifts – raise people’s self-esteem and
cause them to like themselves more.
As a result, by the law of indirect effort,
they will like you more as well.
3. Be agreeable:
The most welcome
people in every situation are those
who are generally agreeable and
positive with others. On the other
hand, argumentative people who
question and complain a lot are seldom
welcomed anywhere. When you nod,
smile and agree with another person
when he or she is talking or expressing
an opinion, you make that person feel
intelligent, respected, valuable and
important.
4. Show your admiration:
People usually
invest a lot of personal emotion in their
possessions, traits, and accomplish-
ments. When you admire something
belonging to another person, it makes
him fell happy about himself. Express
your admiration for people’s appear-
ance and specific items of their clothing
or dress. Men are specially compli-
mented when you say something
nice about their ties or shoes. Women
enjoy being complimented about their
appearance. You can also compliment
a person’s traits or characteristics, by
saying things like “You are certainly
persistent”.
5. Pay attention to others:
Perhaps the
most powerful way to raise another
person’s self-esteem is to listen to him or
her attentively. The key to great listen-
ing is for you to ask question and then
hang on every word of the answer.
When the person slows down or come
to the end of a statement, ask another
question. When people are attentively
listened to, their brain releases endor-
phins. As a result, they feel happy about
themselves. Their self-esteem goes up.
6. If you have nothing nice to say, say
nothing:
Never do or say anything that
lowers a person’s self-esteem or makes
him feels less important or valuable.
Refuse to gossip or discuss other people
in a negative way. Never say anything
about a person that you would not say
to his face. The most powerful force in
all human relationships is destructive
criticism. It lowers a person’s self-es-
teem, makes him/her feel angry and
defensive, and cause him/her to dislike
the source. So never complain about
people or situations that you do not like.
7. Be courteous, concerned, and
considerate of everyone you meet:
Think of this as “the three Cs” and
practice them with everyone you meet.
When you treat a person with courtesy
and respect, he or she feels more
valuable and important. As a result of
making a person feel more valuable
and respected, that person will in turn
value and respect you even more
as well. When you express concern
about things that are happening in a
person’s life, he/she warms up to you
and likes you more. When a person has
a difficult situation and you express your
concern or compassion, you touch the
person’s heart. You connect with his/
her emotions. Through this, you make
yourself a more likable person. Consid-
eration is the third of the Cs. When you
practice consideration, you discipline
yourself to do and say things to people
that makes them feel valuable and
important.
