How to increase your LQ Part 1

Mrs. Santos is a very wealthy business woman and she had to go to her annual check up. Her doctor is efficient, but has a reputation of being too direct.

After an hour or so, the doctor looks at Mrs. Santos and says the following: “Mrs. Santos, overall you are very healthy for a 45 year old. There is, however, only one problem. You are 40 pounds overweight and bordering on obese. I would strongly suggest you diet now to save any complications in later years.”

She looks sternly at him and says, “I demand a second opinion.”

“OK” he says as his anger begins to show, “you’re rottenly ugly as well!”

One thing I can assure you is that this doctor will never win any popularity contest.

There are people who are good with their craft, but the problem is they are not well liked and this is not a good thing.

While their craft is still needed and marketable, they may get away with their rudeness. But once another option offers itself, they will quickly lose their business.

LQ today is added to IQ and EQ as I keep on emphasizing in my talks, trainings and seminars. We are quite familiar with IQ as it means Intelligence Quotient. EQ got its popularity a few years back and is known as Emotional Quotient. LQ, however, is still mistaken as “Lover’s Quarrel” as many of the young people would say, but far from it. “LQ” is a business gauge for people’s ability to get along with people and is technically referred to as “Likeability Quotient.” The term itself is self-explanatory.

Here is a fact of business life that many people still do not know. They think that getting ahead is solely dependent on one’s ability and skill. Others think that being promoted require non-stop sucking up to the boss. Both of these premises are wrong.

I have witnessed deplorable acts of “sucking up’s” happening both in the business as well as in the religious scene, and they are not nice to behold.

The one thing I have consistently observed is that people who tend to “suck up” always tend to “kick down” other people as perhaps their way of compensating for their low esteem. But this does not make them likeable and would turn out to be counter productive in the long run.

All things being equal, the person who is more liked will always get the promotions or the business opportunity. This fact will never be articulated but it remains as it is: a fact of life.

I have personally decided, on giving vendors and suppliers who are more likeable compared to their counterparts who may have offered products or services with equal quality.

I have personally encountered clients who told me they wanted my services because the other provider is rude, arrogant and boastful. The reasons may not be scientific, but they are truths we have to consider.

A good gauge of business is never sales alone. You could have one sale and when it is not repeated it does not mean much. A good gauge of a thriving business is “REPEATED SALES.” This may mean that you are doing something right, your products and services are valued and here is the key — YOUR CLIENTS LIKE YOU!

There is no room for rudeness and arrogance in business. And now that all of my children are doing well in their business, I smile a little whenever I see them serving their clients well, speaking to them respectfully and giving more than what they are paid for.

My son’s restaurant has repeat customers. My designer daughter’s clients list grows as new ones are added to the regulars. And my youngest daughter who is now actively involved with my consultancy firm can win the “Ms. Friendship” title anytime of the year with her winning smile and her desire to serve.

As a dad and a businessman I am very satisfied with what I see. Likeability is the key to business life and likeability is essential to relationships.

Tomorrow in this column I will offer ideas on how to boost one’s likeability quotient. But now would be a good time for an honest assessment. A crucial question we need to ask the people around us: “Am I really likeable?” And don’t get upset if you do not like their honest answer.

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