 Not the real guy, but you get the idea. Little social tricks pay off tenfold
If it weren’t for reruns and venues like Netflix, the title of this post might go lost on many of our readers. But we’re talking about Gilligan’s Island, the sixties-era sitcom wherein seven stranded castaways had to make do with the perils of life on a desolate desert isle… and only one change of clothing. In every episode, for three seasons, Gilligan wore the exact same thing. A red shirt with a white collar, faded bell bottoms, and a little white Dixie cup hat. Must’ve been, well, fragrant. You see where this is going, don’t you? You instantly grasp the nexus between Gilligan’s sartorial monotony and your own business development, right? Okay, it’s a stretch, but here goes. How many times have you gotten ready for an in-person meeting, and picked out what you felt was the most appropriate outfit to wear, only to wonder, “Oh geez, was this the exact same thing I wore the last time?” Keeping tabs That’s where we got the Gilligan reference. You really don’t want to show up wearing the exact same thing you wore last time. You could argue that Steve Jobs, presumably taking a cue from the legend about Albert Einstein, always wore the same thing on stage, but we’d rather not worry that people think: “Sheesh… Is that their only outfit?” The easiest way to avoid this little dilemma is to jot it down. Don’t put it in your calendar for the day of the meeting. That would make it too much work to look up for your next meeting. Rather, put down a time-stamped note in the notes for that client’s contact, so you can quickly see, “Oh, last time I wore that blue blazer, etc., etc.” This, clearly, is a little trick for making a better appearance for yourself. But there are also others you can use to help you engage with others. Write it down Again, take advantage of whatever contact software you’re using; indeed, these tricks even apply to a Rolodex, if you know what one is (or are still using one). This is where you jot down the name of the assistant, the names of the spouse and kids, the birthdates, etc. Be sure to time-stamp them, for example: “April 14th, 2017: Jill had a baby boy, Jayden.” Then, all you’ll ever need is a quick glance at that contact card when you’re about to jump on the phone or meet, and you won’t waste time racking your brains for those little details or (worse) getting an important fact like that wrong. This also works “inbound.” When you receive a call from Contact A, simply bring up Contact A’s card on screen while you’re chatting. You’ll appear brilliant. These, clearly, are neither new nor high-tech tricks. But you’d be surprised how many people fail to employ them, despite all the advances in customer-relationship-management or CRM software, cloud-linked contacts, etc. Plan in advance Not long ago, we were booked to have lunch with a client out of town. They suggested the restaurant. We had a lot to discuss at the meeting and wanted to stay focused. Know what we did in advance? We Googled the restaurant, perused their menu online, and picked out exactly what we would order. When we got there in person, we politely skimmed the menu (also to make sure the online version was accurate!) and casually ordered what we’d chosen beforehand. It bought us just a little extra time and relaxation and allowed us to focus more on the real details of the meeting. And no one suspected. Do you have a little trick you’d care to share? Post it in the comments or contact us and let us know. We can’t get enough of little time- and effort-savers like these.
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