Make Your Business as Memorable as a Thrift Store
Photo Credit: Steve Snodgrass
Recently, I published a post about when blog content is less memorable to most readers. While on the Entrepreneur.com site, I found a link to the article 4 Ways to Make Yourself Memorable and Leave Great Impressions.
Finding What’s Memorable
Being curious about what makes something memorable, I clicked. One of the points that caught my attention is a real game changer. Before I explain, I need to give you some background.
Being more cognizant of spending too much time in front of my computer, I decided to take a break with a friend to check out the local animal shelter. She’s thinking about getting a dog, and we’ve just lost our latest shelter dog. I left her to check out the shelter, and I wandered into the shelter thrift store, as not to resort to tears.
As you know, you never know what you are going to find in a thrift store.
Well, I confess I did make a purchase. More importantly, I witnessed a real life example of making something memorable.
Two ladies had their dogs with them as they shopped. Naturally, their sweet pooches found a way to sniff me out.
As I’m in the middle of a rack, I hear one of the volunteers approach one of the women with a small decorative handbag with a dog motif. Now, I’m no longer looking in the rack but have become a fascinated voyeur.
The volunteer goes on to say she thought this was a perfect bag for her. Now, as any good shopper knows, you either appreciate a helpful sales clerk or you go into “I’m just looking” mode immediately. The woman oooh’s and aaah’s over the bag. The moment the volunteer leaves, her friend appears.
The moment the volunteer leaves, her friend appears.
Friend: “But would you seriously use that? It’s so small and silly?”
Woman with bag: “Why not, I think it’s cute. I would wear that out in public. Why not?”
What Makes Something Memorable?
One of the 4 points mentioned in the Entrepreneur article comes from the well respected, young entrepreneur, Billy Dec. Dec makes the distinction between networking and being a connector.
A networker is looking for contacts and opportunities that are personally beneficial.
A connector, with no personal motive, brings people together who can benefit from knowing one another.
What makes you memorable, according to Dec, is being the connector and “… creating experiences that people want to talk about …”
The volunteer is acting as a “connector” between a lady shopper and a small handbag. What she creates, whether she knows it or not, is a memorable experience. The handbag now becomes a story linked to a thrift store where both shoppers are likely to return.
Some entrepreneurs may find it offensive to offer their time, energy, or knowledge for free. Rather, they believe that networking is a smarter investment.
Yet, being a connector is one of the greatest business success principles of all.
People buy for the experience. Click To Tweet
There’s been a lot of psychological research into why people buy. One significant factor is the experience.
People like to buy memorable experiences from memorable people.
Are you a connector in your business world?
What is that you do, or can do, in your business to be more memorable?
Resources: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242215
Image: Image: Flickr CC BY 2.0 Steve Snodgrass https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevensnodgrass/8187375018