Be Memorable or Why Go?

The good news is you’re at a networking event with the potential to meet key players at your target companies. The bad news is you are not alone; your competition is also there talking to these same prospects. How do you stand out?  Lynn Lavender, Chief Imagination Officer at Lavender-Landings.com, a digital communications strategy company, has the answer.

Missed Opportunity

“I attended a network meeting this week and each person had 30 seconds to introduce themselves and their business. There were 60 attendees. Each was professional, followed a conventional formula and each was well delivered. But not one conjured up an image — and not one sticks in my mind.

Most people totally ignore the use of imagery…the process of creating images with words. And at networking events, that is a big missed opportunity.

Images, sounds, smells and words are all stored in different areas of the brain. That means that if you can combine as many of those senses as possible into one message, the message is much more likely to be retained as each sense reinforces the other.

That’s why using literary devices like metaphors, analogies and similes is so powerful. Creating images with words underscores your message and distinguishes you from the crowd.”

Be Memorable 

Here are some examples of imagery that instantly “tattoo” a company’s position and value on the brain of  a listener:

• A financing company: We are like Sisyphus; we keep working for clients even when it feels like we’re pushing a boulder up a hill.
• A marketing company: We are marketing Sherpas; we lead you safely up the inevitable mountain of business challenges you face to achieve your goals.
• An SEO company: We’re like Inspector Gadget; we have all the tools you need for improving your SEO.
• A firm that modernizes codebases: We are re-modelers. Instead of incurring the cost of developing new software, we re-model your existing software and save you both time and money.
• (And my favorite from Lynn). We create marketing pieces with indelible images – like tattoos on the brain.

People won’t recall the details of your particular product or service, but they will quickly get and remember you with a good image. Then, when you follow up, they tend to remember you as the Sisyphus folks, or the Sherpa guys, or the remodelers, and be more likely to engage in conversation with you — which gets you on your way to new business.

Your Turn

1.What do you do?

2.What is your unique value?

3.What metaphor or analogy can you use to quickly–and memorably–communicate that value?

Use that answer at your next networking event to separate yourself from the pack and enjoy the results.

Anne Miller

Make What You Say Pay! – with Metaphors

P.S. Nobody does business communications like Lynn Lavender. Check out her cutting edge brochure here: https://publications.lavender-landings.com/landingstrifold

Photo by Milad Fakurian on Unsplash

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