Marketing: Custom Edition for Texas A&M University 17th Edition by William Pride,Ferrell

Exercise 23

Dale Carnegie Focuses on Business Customers
Dale Carnegie was a highly successful entrepreneur and one of the most legendary speakers of the 20th century. His simple but effective two-step formula for connecting with customers and colleagues in business situations was (1) win friends and (2) influence people. He began teaching his methods as part of the Dale Carnegie Course in 1912. In 1936, he published his ground-breaking book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, which went on to become an international best seller and is still available in print, as an audio book, and as an e-book. The original manuscript of this famous book remains on view in the Hauppauge, New York, headquarters of the company that Dale Carnegie founded, inspiring the new leaders who have brought the firm into the 21st century.
Today, Dale Carnegie operates in 85 countries, from China to Cameroon, with 2,700 trainers teaching his methods in 25 languages. In all, more than 8 million people have taken a Dale Carnegie course. The company has trained managers, employees, and teams in multinational corporations, such as Ford, Honda, Adidas, John Deere, 3M, Verizon, American Express, and Apple. It also provides training to people in government agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, as well as to small business owners and individuals who want to learn the Carnegie way.
Carnegie's methods can help marketers build a relationship with people at all levels, from the mail room to the board room. Whether the conversation involves a sales call or a factory visit to see a particular piece of equipment, "you can change people's behavior by changing your attitude towards them," says Peter Handal, CEO of Dale Carnegie. Listening carefully, wearing a smile, and being courteous is common sense, yet "it's not common practice," Handal explains, which is where the Dale Carnegie course comes in.
Dale Carnegie's principles still apply in this era of digital communications. For example, choosing positive words in a business e-mail can give recipients a good feeling about the message and the sender. Businesspeople are busy, so many value the efficiency of brief messages sent via text or Twitter. At the same time, adding a personal touch with a quick Skype conversation or recording a relevant video message can be a very effective way to engage business customers. And there's nothing like a face-to-face meeting where the customer can sit with a supplier or technical expert, ask questions, watch a live demonstration or handle a product, and build trust.
As CEO, Peter Handal travels the world to hear what customers and trainers have to say about Dale Carnegie's operations and about their own business situations. He emphasizes the need for managers to listen to what others have to say, even if the news is bad. "That's a very dangerous situation," Handal says. "You can't have everyone on the team in charge, but you have to have everyone be able to speak openly and honestly." In other words, it's important to be nice, but it's also important to speak up so decision makers have all the information they need to proceed.
From a marketing perspective, why would people who work for the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs be as interested in taking a Dale Carnegie course as people who work for American Express?