Don't Squander One Of The Best Chances To Leverage Your Brand.
Skip being labeled as forgettable. If you want people to want you, slide some mental honey their way.
I’ve been wracking my brain.
Back in my days as a ski rep in the skiing heydays, one of my lines was San Marco ski boots. San Marco had a cult-like following with unique design features appealing to a certain skier profile. It was a cool product with a guy named Ken Phelps as GM at the helm. It’s been more years (decades) than I’d like to count since I worked with Ken. And while I easily conjured up his image in my mind’s eye, I struggled to remember Ken’s name until my subconscious spit it out at 3am this morning.
Now I remember Ken vividly. His likable demeanor made him easy to travel with. His skiing history, product knowledge and influence opened lots of doors. He was widely respected and a solid leaning post for gaining knowledge. I always looked forward to meetings with Ken, coming away every time better for the experience.
I also represented Atomic Skis who acquired Koflach ski boots which evolved into Atomic boots. As a result, I reached a fork in the road, moving forward with Atomic. I’d still see Ken from time to time at industry events but we lost touch over time.
Recently, I googled Ken to glean an update. Unfortunately, such scant information. Not even an obituary could I find, although I’d heard that Ken passed away. But there were a few articles from the 1960’s in the NY Times, regaling stories about ski races he’d won in his native New York region as well as some placements at world cup events and big races at resorts like Vail.
The ski racer in me marvels at the history and gifted ability of guys like Ken. Rereading those articles makes me ever more proud to have known him. While I’m sad there’s not much of a legacy on line for Ken, one slice of Ken’s history stands like a beacon at Ski-DB.com who tallies World Cup ski results.
Ken Phelps is an alpine ski racer from the U.S.A. His last result is a 5th in the 1967/68 Aspen Downhill.
So brilliant! We should all aspire to be summarized so succinctly, simultaneously commanding such respect.
What one sentence so splendidly describes your business? What one liner can you say to people on the street, at a cocktail party or to potential partners that curiously captures their attention?
If you’re doing it right, you’ve invested the energy into defining your unique solution set. Why customers should choose you. A clear promise in every touch point that stands like a lighthouse to those searching for your solution. Distilling that precise purpose into a single line is gold.
It clarifies the mission, creates alignment of aspirations and gives everyone involved an easy, impactful way to share what you do, encompassing why you do it, while holding a cocktail or strolling through the airport.
Recognizable one liners include:
BMW- The ultimate driving machine.
Wheaties- The breakfast of champions.
Barclays- Fluent in finance.
KFC- Finger licken good.
Disneyland- The happiest place on earth.
Armed with a great one liner and some luck, when asked about your profession you could offer up a riveting, “I’m the owner of KFC franchises, I make food that’s Finger licken good”. Or, “I work at the happiest place on earth, Disney.” You could dazzle new friends with, “I sell the ultimate driving machine.”
Too often, hesitation, down playing or fumbling with a response meets the ask of, what do you do?. Squandering that moment is a lost opportunity. Recognize that inquisitive question is a chance to sear your brand, leaving your mark on a mind with an open door. You know how rare that is. Frustratingly frequent is marketing lost in the noise when defenses are up, making impressions difficult.
I used to be that guy responding with, I’m in the marine business, or in the ski industry or have a marketing company. Not any more. Today I say, I build expensive boats with fun, game changing features. Guess what happens next? The questions start flowing. After that I own an exclusive piece of mental real estate in that person’s mind. And they asked for it!
Imagine your significant other asking you about people you met at a party. Do you really want to be another unmemorable suit, just another cog in the wheel? Skip being labeled as forgettable. If you want people to want you, slide some mental honey their way.
Don’t disrespect your marketing, costing you a fortune, when given a chance to bolster it in building new connections. Give conversations a line item space in your marketing array to ensure that your purpose is leveraged by your army.
Everyone’s curious about what others have in their pockets, show your brand like it’s your grandfathers prized pocket watch. There’s always a story to tell.
You know your story, here are some keys for honing it into a one line intoxicator:
1. Keep it simple.
2. Make it memorable.
3. Create an emotional connection.
4. Share your value.
5. Infuse your uniqueness.
Your logical mind wants to run it through the formal, business, rational checkbox grist mill. Forget those mental gymnastics, intuitively you already know it. Sharpen that. How would you answer your mother or best friend? That’s the sort of sticky response you want to give that people can’t forget.