There are several types and sub types of people in the world. Getting to understand the differences will help you connect with other people. This is taught in sales 101, because the need to connect with the people to make the sale.

However if we realize that we are always selling ourselves to others for cooperation and mutual benefit, it goes a long way to greater understanding and connection.

Dr. Tony Alessandra, noted that we need to take the golden rule of "Do on to others as you would like to be done onto." And move that one step further to the platinum rule "Do on to others as they would like you to do unto them."

It is important to remember that we all have different likes, dislikes and ways of doing things. Just because we like one way or style of doing something, does not mean that the other person will like or even respond to that style.

This is why it is important to find out what the other person's interested are. We can ask open-ended questions to discover their likes and dislikes. For example, who, what, when and why are open-ended questions. Did, have and are are closed ended questions that can result in yes / no answers that end the conversation.

One of the fastest ways to really annoy someone is to stereo type or label. Dont assume that every man likes sports or that every woman wants to know toilet training techniques. The man many be more interested in geology or fashion design. The woman may be more interested in space travel or quantum physics.

There are also the differences in cultures and societies. How we do things in one country can be very different in another. It is very important to stay away from the dualities of:

Right / Wrong
Good / Bad

They are different and it is the differences that have helped develop and move the world forward. With the technology today, we are interacting at an accelerated rate and the exchange of information and different ways of looking at issues has enabled the world to have some amazing breakthroughs and discoveries.

If we were all the same the world would collapse. Imagine if everyone wanted to be or do the same things. For example if everyone wanted to be a doctor, what would we do for teachers, scientist, engineers, tailors, bakers, bankers, investors, construction workers, farmers, counselors, writers, programmers etc. The list goes on and on.

The point is, the more important it is to get your message across and to have satisfied customers or clients, the more important it is to understand who your audience is and what their likes and dislikes are.

When you take the time to discover the other person, you can open yourself to an amazing world of wonder and delight.