Last week I was meeting with a new potential client, a well-known French multi-national, and the HR Director asked me the question “What’s your black belt?”. I knew exactly what she meant and most times when I’ve been asked this type of question it sounds something like “What do you consider your core expertise?” or “What are your most popular courses?”. These two versions of the same question are eminently forgettable. I have been asked them countless times and have no recollection of the person or company who asked them. I will however, always remember the lady and company who asked me about my black belt, as it was the first time I’d heard the question asked in this way.
The quest to be memorable, to capture attention, is at the very core of marketing, social media, influencing and branding. To paraphrase Gary V, one of the most impactful influencers in today’s digital world, “attention is the currency”. If you haven’t considered this before I suggest you do so as it’s a game changer in business.
What determines whether a client calls you or someone else, whether we buy a given product or service, is a function of attention. In today’s ultra-connected world, never has there been a larger clamour for attention. However, that’s too macro a topic for this blog, so let’s return to the black belt question and a micro approach we can use to capture attention with the people we meet.
Two days ago, I gave a negotiation workshop in Dubai for the British Business Group. The turnout was large, approx. 67 people which for a negotiation workshop is well over the optimal number. I knew that most people would be expecting to listen to a presentation and given the group size, that there would be limited interaction. They certainly did not expect that within 30 minutes of sitting down, they would be thrust into acting out a role play scenario with a stranger where they were representing either a performer or a theatre company! However, that is what happened and from the post-workshop feedback, I am sure that the participants will remember my session for a long time to come..
Why?
The answer is based in neuroscience and the chemical reaction we all experience when something novel, interesting or unexpected occurs. Whether it’s a question about a black belt or a workshop that defied your expectations, our brain releases dopamine when we experience something novel, interesting or unexpected. Dopamine is known as the ‘memory chemical’ because when it is released, the memory centres in our brain fire up, thereby increasing the likelihood that we remember what was experienced.
Armed with this knowledge of how our human neurology is wired, there really is no excuse not to have an impact when you meet with important clients, vendors or management. Rather than say what everyone else says, be creative. Think of how you can express yourself in a relevant but memorable way. Play with different questions, sentence structures and phrases and monitor the reaction. Soon, you will build a weaponry of impactful statements that will create dopamine releases with your listeners, make you more memorable, and help you win the battle for attention.
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