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•118 The 100 Greatest Business Ideas of All Time

you-by-the-paycheque manipulation familiar to thousands of anxiety-ridden survi-
vors of corporate restructuring.’

When you read the advice Carnegie gives at the present time, you can be for-
given for wondering why he needed to do so much research and speak to so many
people before being able to write the self-help book. This is actually a tribute to the
fact that by now we have internalised or at least understood the principles that he
describes. It is, after all, the only book title in this section that has become a cliché
inside and also outside the business world. Here are the Carnegie principles in brief.

‘The fundamental techniques in handling people’ include ‘don’t criticise, con-
demn or complain; give honest and sincere appreciation; arouse in the person an
eager want’.

Then he presents six ways to make people like you:

‘1 become genuinely interested in other people
‘2 smile [The World’s Favourite Airline ran an entire change programme based

round this]
‘3 remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most impor-

tant sound in any language
‘4 be a good listener [the start of most selling courses asks the question ‘what is the

greatest skill a salesman needs, and agrees finally on ‘listening’]
‘5 encourage others to talk about themselves
‘6 talk in terms of the other person’s interest [advice in any training course con-

cerned with communication]
‘7 make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.’

As Crainer says, ‘Carnegie’s message remains relevant: people matter and, in the
world of business, how you manage and relate to people is the key to success.’