I Can't Get This Outta My Head!

Enter the minds of your people and have that thought stay there!

When I was a military band director I used to program the Colonel Bogey March in my music concerts.  This march is world famous and was most identified with the film Bridge on the River Kwai.  In the bridge section there is a very recognizable melody that everybody whistles, and I used to turn to my audience to get them to whistle along with the orchestra. 

Why would I program this particular piece of music in my concerts, especially as an encore?  Because I wanted to mess with my audience's heads with a memorable experience!  Nothing is more memorable than having the audience whistling the music as they exit the auditorium.  They not only whistle the music as they're leaving, they continue whistling it in the car while driving on their way home.  They still whistle it in their heads as they get ready for bed.  They can't sleep at night because they can't get that stupid melody out of their heads!  THAT's the kind of affect that I wanted to have on my audience and it worked Oh, So Very Well! 

Its kind of like singing "Hundred Bottles of Beer on the Wall... A Hundred Bottles of Beer...." Or "Do the Hokey Pokey and You Turn Yourself Around" (...What if Doing the Hokey Pokey is what it's REALLY all about?!), or "The Ants Go Marching Two by Two, Hurrah, Hurrah...."  After awhile you can't get those darn melodies out of your mind and it drives you nuts!

Is this considered subliminal torture?  I don't think so, but this is the kind of affect we should strive for with our clients.

What do you have in your arsenal that you can use to enter the minds of your audience and get it to stay there?  What can you use to set yourself apart from the crowd?  Is it a Slogan?  How about a Personal Marketing Brochure that tells us about yourself?  Do you have one-of-a-kind stationery?  An eye-catching piece of artwork that decorates your car that advertises yourself? 

I recently had a great experience showing people the Country Living Magazine 2008 Home of the Year.  A couple from Minneapolis came down to visit because they were going to build that very dream home for themselves.  They wanted to see the home so they could get some ideas for building their own home using these plans.  I knew they weren't going to buy anything, but it meant everything to them to see this home.  So I made them feel welcome; I recommended a great bed and breakfast for overnight accommodations, recommended a couple good restaurants, and I spent over two hours with them making them feel welcome and showing them this home top to bottom.  That's just me... I did that without expecting anything in return.  Then I got a very nice email from them thanking me.  It went like this:

"I cannot tell you how grateful we are for your hospitality and taking us to visit the home of our dreams.  Joan and I have marveled at how kind you were; your willingness to spend the time with us and help us "hash out" changes, etc.  You truly are a gem and we appreciate your kindness."

Now that floored me, and it was just another reminder to me that even our personalities and the way we handle ourselves can get into the minds of the people we deal with and can set us apart.

I'm not going to tell you what to do to set yourself apart from others, because that's as individual as each one of us.  You just never know what kind of affect you will have on other people.  Sometimes it can come back to haunt you!  (He says, as he exits while whistling the melody to Bridge on the River Kwai...)

Jon J. Miller, Broker, United Country-Marshland Realty