On a national sports radio program recently, two talk show hosts were discussing star quarterback Peyton Manning and the enormous impact he is having in his new football home, Denver. They mentioned that Manning had already learned the entire playbook, but even more interesting was that he had learned the names of the entire press group and as much as he could about them and their families. One host opined how "brilliant" that was of Manning.

Perhaps Manning does this because he knows the value of scouting reports, which colleges and major sports leagues use to assess their competition and draft choices.

I don't know if Peyton Manning is familiar with the Mackay 66-Question Customer Profile, which I wrote about in my book, "Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive," but Manning certainly knows the power that it yields when used properly to build relationships.

I have been preaching about the power of the Mackay 66 for my entire career. It's a tool to help you humanize your selling strategy. To be successful in life -- and especially in sales -- you must have a desire to help people. Studies show that you can't talk business all the time. Your customers are people first!

I developed this 66-question customer profile when I was 21 years old. (The Mackay 66 is available for free on my website -- www.harveymackay.com.) At MackayMitchell Envelope Co., we require all our salespeople to fill it out about every customer.

You wouldn't believe how much we know about our customers. The IRS wouldn't believe how much we know about our customers.

And I'm not talking about their tastes in envelopes. We want to know, based on routine conversation and observation, what our customers are like as human beings. What do they feel strongly about? What are they proudest of having achieved? Are there any status symbols in their offices? In other words, we want to know the person behind the desk.

And remember ... this is not just for our customers. It's also for our suppliers. We want the best paper suppliers in the country. We want the best ink suppliers.

Use the Mackay 66 for employees and competitors -- anyone you can benefit from knowing more about. Every time you encounter those people, you learn a little bit more about them. You will probably never fill out all 66 items, but 30 are better than 20, and 15 are better than 10. They cover things like education (high school and college), family (spouses and kids), anniversaries, hobbies and interests, favorite sports teams, vacation habits, previous employment, professional and trade associations, clubs and so on.

Question No. 66 -- Does your competitor have more or better answers to the above questions than you have?

The Mackay 66 is a concept, philosophy and tool. You still must perform. But if you perform and build a good relationship, you not only get the order, you get all the reorders.

You simply cannot know enough about your customers, employees, suppliers and competitors.

Here's a story that dates back about 100 years that illustrates the importance of noticing the little things and knowing your audience.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, was quite impressed with the observational powers of a cab driver who picked him up at the train station after a vacation to the south of France. As he stepped into the cab and put his suitcase on the seat next to him, the driver surprised him by asking, "Where would you like to go, Mr. Doyle?"

Doyle was shocked that the man knew his name, and asked whether they had ever met.

The driver said no, which prompted Doyle to ask how he knew who Doyle was.

The driver replied, "This morning's paper had a story about you being on vacation in Marseilles. This is the taxi stand where people who return from Marseilles always come. Your skin color tells me that you have been on vacation. The ink spot on your right index finger suggests to me that you are a writer. Your clothing is very English, and not French. Adding up all those pieces of information, I deduce that you are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

"That, and your name is on your suitcase."

Mackay's Moral: People don't care how much you know about them ... once they realize how much you care about them.

"Everybody needs four things in life: Something to do, someone to love, someone to believe in and something to hope for."

I wish I had said that, but it is from my friend Lou Holtz, the author, motivational speaker, sportscaster and retired football coach. I recently invited Lou to speak to a professional group I am mentoring, and he was his usual outstanding self. It's no wonder that the Washington Speakers Bureau calls Lou one of the best speakers in the world.

I've heard him speak 100 times, and he still amazes me with his practical, down-to-earth and simple advice.

For example, we have all kinds of rules and laws. We've got federal laws, state laws, corporate laws, bylaws ... you name it. Holtz simplifies things by following three simple rules:

Rule No. 1 -- Do right. "Just do the right thing," Lou says. "We've all done dumb things and wish we hadn't done them, but you can't go through life with an albatross around your neck saying, 'I made a mistake.' Say you're sorry, make amends and move on."

He added: "I think it's wrong to be bitter. We all have a reason to be bitter. We've all had injustices done to us by society, by a spouse, by a friend, but you can't go through life being bitter. We're always blaming someone else. Wherever we are, it's because of the choices we make."

Rule No. 2 -- Do everything to the best of your ability with the time allotted. Lou says: "Not everybody will be an All-American. Not everybody will be first team. Not everybody will be great. But everybody can do the best they can with the time allotted."

Rule No. 3 -- Show people you care. I have seen this rule in action many times. Lou is constantly asking people, "How can I help you? How can I assist you?" He means it. He has a burning desire to help people.

Lou Holtz says he can get by with only three rules because the people you meet have three basic questions.

The first question: Can I trust you?

"Without trust, there is no relationship," Lou said. "Without trust, you don't have a chance. People have to trust you. They have to trust your product. The only way you can ever get trust is if both sides do the right thing."

The second question: Are you committed to excellence?

Lou explained, "When you call on a customer, you send a message that you are committed to certain standards. How much do you know about your company and what opportunities your company offers to satisfy people's needs? The only way that can ever be answered is if you do everything to the best of your ability."

The third question: Do you care about me?

Holtz said: "Do you care about me, and what happens if your product doesn't do what it's intended to do? Caring about people is not making their life easy. Caring about people is not being their friend. Caring about people is enabling them to be successful."

A few years ago I was asked to help raise money for a Lou Holtz statue at the University of Notre Dame. On the pedestal, his players had chosen three words -- trust, love, commitment. Those words represent Lou's core values.

If people follow these three rules, their self-confidence grows. They don't worry when the phone rings. They have no doubt about what they are doing. They lift everyone up in their organization. These rules help hold organizations together.

Holtz finished with an exercise. He asked us to pick two people: Someone you love, admire and respect, and someone you've got a problem with. Ask these three questions about both people. You should answer with a simple yes or no.

"I guarantee you, the person you admire and respect, you said yes to all three questions," Holtz said. "The person you've got a problem with, you pinpointed a problem. Either you can't trust them, they aren't committed or they don't care."

When you have a problem with someone who falls into these three categories, you have to decide if you can change it or live with it. If you can't do either, your only other choice -- and probably the right choice -- is to divorce yourself from the problem or the individual.

Mackay's Moral: Life is a lot easier if you always play by the rules.