Get the Business You Wish For by Standing Out

By Tom Richard

A few years ago I was tasked by my company to hire someone for a marketing position. The ad was posted and the floodgates were opened. We received hundreds upon hundreds of resumes for one, single position.

As I sifted through about 500 resumes, I quickly grew a new appreciation for Human Resource managers who do this every day. However, as I looked at this mountain of paperwork, something else began to bother me–they all looked the same. At first, it saddened me, but as time went on their sameness began to amuse me. The format, fonts, cover letters, and words were literally all alike. In fact, about 95% of every resume had the word "utilize" in the objective statement. With all these similarities, it was hard to tell anything about the person who sent the resume.

On the second day, the secretary walked into the office and handed me a tall, decorative, blue bottle. Rolled up and sticking out of its mouth was a piece of paper. Puzzled, I look at the secretary, who told me that a young woman just dropped it off and asked that I receive it right away.

I pulled the paper out of the bottle and unrolled it. A smirk appeared on my lips as I realized it was a resume from a young woman named Jeanie. I had to laugh at her clever use of “Jeanie in a bottle." Not only was I laughing, I was reading every single word of her cover letter and resume. Thoroughly impressed, I ran to the parking lot to see if the young woman had already left.

How many of your business communications have your customers chasing after you?

Oftentimes, businesses fall into the same trap as graduating seniors. They fail to realize that standing out from the crowd is half the battle. They don't take advantage of the many opportunities they have to grab someone's attention.

Standing out is more than having the best service, the best product and a fair price. It requires getting noticed, immediately and easily. With the hundreds of applicants I had for the job, I had to look for people who stood out to narrow my selection. Those who made it easy, like Jeanie, got the interviews.

Every single piece of communication you have says something about you and your company. If you are using standard templates and practices for your business communication pieces, you are telling others that your company isn't fresh or creative. You are just like everybody else.

Think of some of the opportunities you have to stand out:

Leave-behinds: Are they smiling just as brightly as you were when you were there? If they are, you are truly giving yourself an advantage over the other 499 vendors they could choose from.

Business Proposals: The personality of your business proposal undoubtedly increases your chance of impressing a customer when you are not around. In a three-bid situation, it may be the only thing in front of them when it's decision time. Whether the customer admits it or not, the visual personality your proposal captures plays into their decision.

Business Cards: These are mini-portraits of personality reminding the customer of why they liked you in the first place. Take your business card out now and look at it. Does it look better than, worse than, or the same as your competition's?

When was the last time a customer complimented your creative fax cover sheet, your business card, or the layout of your business proposal? If the answer is never, then you have room for much improvement. Freshen the visual appeal of your company's business communications by being creative with every interaction you have with your customers. With an increasingly competitive environment, take a lesson from Jeanie; turn something ordinary into an opportunity to make them say, "Wow!"

Tom Richard is a speaker, writer and trainer who has dedicated his life to spreading the joy that comes from discovering your true self and enjoying the rewards of operating at your full potential. He enjoys providing training and coaching opportunities for salespeople. For more information, visit http://www.boltfromblue.com, call 419-441-1005, or e-mail tom@boltfromblue.com

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