5 Ways to Get People to Remember You

Let’s get people to hire you because they remember you and you’re hard to forget. As an entrepreneur, you want people to buy from you because they trust you and know your name. To help you achieve that goal, here are five ways to get people to remember you.

1 Say the Other Person’s Name

After meeting someone, say their name during your conversation as soon as possible. Repeat their name again at the end, closing with, “It was nice meeting you, (name).” People like to be remembered, and if you’ve made the effort to remember this person, they will try to remember you as well.

2 Give Something to the Other Person

When someone gives you something, you feel obligated to give them something in return. This is the Law of Reciprocity. You see this often when you go shopping. A staff member gives out free food samples, increasing the chances that the shopper will reciprocate by buying an item from the store. Similarly, when you open the door for someone, buy a co-worker a coffee, or share some useful information (like telling someone about a 2 for 1 deal you heard about), that person will view you in a more positive way.

3 Be Vulnerable

One way to get people to remember you is to be vulnerable. When you make mistakes, others see you as more human and more relatable. When you meet someone for the first time, you can share a quick anecdote about, for example, how you sat down in the wrong room at a convention about financial planning and the people in the room were talking about pet training. People like people they can relate to.

4 Share an Insight

People remember stories. If you have a name that is difficult to remember, a little anecdote about your name will make it easier to recall. For example, a quick story about the meaning of your name or why your name was chosen, or something catchy involving your name. Something catchy can be as simple as giving an adjective with the same first letter as your first name. Then they remember your name and something about your personality.

Give Positive Energy

People associate you with what you say. If you complain a lot about the news, the weather, or other people, you may be perceived as negative. If you compliment people and speak positively about people, places, and events, others will associate you with this optimism. Make positive energy your brand, and that is what people will remember about you.

Summary

Sometimes our interaction with someone we first meet is going to be very brief. To create more impact so they remember you, try a technique to make yourself more memorable, such as saying the other person’s name, or sharing something about yourself that the other person will remember.

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to make sure you don’t miss the next post!

How to Get Hired by Adding Value

Recently, people have been losing jobs by the thousands, so the competition you face for getting a job is fierce. How can you stand out and become the first choice with a potential employer or client? If you want to get hired for the long term, start by adding value.

Networking and Relationship Building that Adds Value

First, build a relationship for the long term by networking and getting to know what other people do. If you haven’t done this already, create a LinkedIn profile that describes what you do, your industry and niche, and what type of work you are looking for. Then join LinkedIn groups for similar industries, like and comment on people’s posts, and add advice or information that people in the group will find interesting.

Join local business groups and attend their Zoom meetings to find out what is trending in business and to build connections. Become a connector by suggesting possible clients and connections for group members. Add value by providing feedback and suggestions for their business ideas. People will get to know you more and will recommend you to their connections when work opportunities arise.

Giving Value to Businesses to Create Business

After you’ve created some connections online or in person, continue to build on those connections by adding value. Arrange a coffee or virtual meeting with your connection once in a while to talk about what you’re both doing. Are either of you taking courses, working on building a new skill, or changing direction in your career?

Show support for each other by listening and by offering what you can to help your connection with what they are doing. For example, suggesting videos that teach more about a specific topic, recommending someone that could be a great resource such as a consultant or advisor, or offering to help out with a new business venture.

Getting Hired by Making Your Value Known

When you build relationships and help out your connections, people will get to know you and what it is that you offer. You will be top of mind when they hear about a job opportunity or client that needs someone with your skill set.

These connections will have come to trust you and they will want to return the favour whenever they can. They will remember how you were there for them when they needed advice or when they asked for your opinion on a new endeavor. This level of trust is more valuable than any type of advertising.

Recently, a long-time connection of mine reached out for some writing services. She said I was the first person to come to mind when she needed a writer for her latest business venture. I had previously been there for her as a sounding board for other business ideas and I had helped to promote her business on LinkedIn.

Creating and strengthening your connections is important.

Summary

Getting hired the traditional way is a lot tougher when you have much competition. You’re a name in a long list of candidates. However, if you invest the time to build professional connections, and you’re adding value to them over time, you will be a top choice when they are looking to hire someone they trust.

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to make sure you don’t miss the next post!

How to Manage Your Time and Stay Productive

If you could control time, would you go back to change the past so you could revisit a memory or redo a mistake? How awesome it would be to freeze that moment and have all the minutes to do everything you want with hours to spare! Managing your time and staying productive would not be a problem for you.

A 60 Minutes/ Vanity Fair poll in 2015 found that people would like to go back in time to prevent catastrophes such as the sinking of the Titanic and the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Some people would like to witness firsthand events such as the opening of King Tut’s tomb and the first landing on the moon. Overall of those polled, 53% were more interested in their future than in what went wrong in the past.

It’s possible to experience time travel vicariously. Stephen Hawking, H.G. Wells, and Charles Dickens are all associated with time travel theories and stories. Fantasies about visiting yesterday and tomorrow abound. However, for the average person, is it possible to hold power over time?

As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned that time management is an important skill. Employees have set work hours, such as 9 to 5; after that, they can forget about work for a while. In contrast, entrepreneurs have to set their work hours, and sometimes work time can easily seep into personal time.

coins-currency-investment-insurance-128867

Staying busy versus productive

“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is IMPORTANT.” – Stephen Covey, businessman & author

We all have the same amount of time every day. If every minute of your day was worth a dollar, would you waste it? Stephen Covey says that we should invest time, not spend it. You need to prioritize your tasks and decide what you absolutely must finish and what you don’t need to do each day. Keeping busy is not the same as being productive.

One key to time management is finding blocks of time in your day that could become investments. Author Scott Turow wrote a book during his long commutes in New York.

What could you be doing while you take the train or the bus? A friend of mine used to do sit ups and push ups while we were talking. That amounted to a 20-minute workout. Similarly, if someone were late for a one-to-one meeting with me, I would send follow-up texts to clients while waiting at the coffee shop.

Knowing the difference between being productive and being busy is a way to manage time. The key is identifying what your long-term goals are. Checking your phone for messages and news updates over a quick lunch break isn’t necessarily productive. What messages are you looking for? Confirmation of your meeting tomorrow? Or a reply from your friend to say that she did buy a pet dog?

pexels-photo

Time is a resource to invest in

“Either run the day or the day runs you.” – Jim Rohn, entrepreneur & author

Managing time as a precious resource means prioritizing your day. You won’t have the energy to do everything you ideally want to. Don’t be afraid to delegate tasks to others. Everyone has their special skills. Ask a business associate or a family member for a favor. Don’t wear yourself out attempting to do everything on your to-do list. And don’t forget to thank those who assist you.

You can also use a timer and set office hours. It is easy to spend hours on social media promotion. I am guilty of this because social media is one way to promote your business, so I tell myself I am being productive, but I need to keep track of how much time I am spending on it.

Setting office hours is also critical to your health and well being. If you can work from anywhere, it is all too easy to fit in some work time before or during a family dinner. Instead, draw boundaries on when you are devoting time to work, and when you are devoting time to family and friends, and set aside enough time for yourself.

It’s not yet possible to jump into a time machine and set a date to which we can jump forward or backward, but we can prioritize time. Stay productive, and you will look back on your life and see fewer regrets. Too many people wish they’d had the energy to fit in a 30-minute jog before the day’s end. But no one regrets not watching a TV show by the end of the day.

Tick tock! What will you achieve when the clock strikes midnight tonight?

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to make sure you don’t miss the next post!

How to Dress for Remote Work – Fashion Trends for Pandemic Life Part 2

After a year of remote work, are you ready to set aside your hoodies and sweatpants and dust off your business suits? I miss how dressing up for client meetings made me feel. Let’s capture that feeling again! If you’re still working from home, start off the new year by looking powerfully stylish. Here are some fashion trends for pandemic life to release the negativity of the past year and dress you up for remote work.

Masks and Fresh Faces

Like Superman and Clark Kent, or Supergirl and Kara Danvers, the pandemic has given me a new fashion trend and a new identity. Bear with me for a few paragraphs while I explain. I miss wearing full makeup when I go out. Wearing lipstick and then smearing it on my mask seemed counterproductive. Instead, my mask became the fashion accessory for the lower half of my face.

A disposable mask says, “you’re practical.” A homemade mask with patterns or solid colors became an extension of my wardrobe. Mixing and matching clothes and masks is now the “in” thing. I learned to smile with my eyes as a new way to connect with people, instead of smiling with my mouth. Walking into a bank with a mask on was finally acceptable.

A half-hidden face was like a Supergirl identity. I revealed the real me when I got home. I could wear makeup and try a new hairstyle for my next virtual meeting. The camera was my fashion runway. My secret identity, my entire face, was exposed to the world only in the virtual world. When I next go out, I’ll be disguised again, at least, until this pandemic is over.

Recycle It or Do It Yourself (DIY) Fashion

A fashion trend I’m seeing on Instagram and TikTok is making old clothes new again. Most of us have a shirt or a cardigan. Now if you tuck in that shirt or cardigan just above the waist, you’re accenting your waist and wearing old clothes a new way.

Updating old looks is easy if all we have to do is find what we have and wear it differently than before. These days, with restrictions on our social lives and where we can go, it’s handy to be able to shop at our own homes and be trendy. For those of us hit hard financially during the pandemic, being able to refresh old items is especially good news. Recycling is also good for the environment.

Do it yourself fashion is also a trend. Creating new looks seems as simple as watching a video and following a few steps. I’m a bit hesitant to cut away at old items or colour old items to create something new that I’ll wear in public. But if you’re handy with your hands, DIY is an option to look into.

After dressing down for almost a year, it’s time for a change. Some people are dressing up with brand name yoga wear. It’s still casual, but trendier. I’m ready to update old clothes – wearing my skirt, shirt, and cardigan 2021 style. Dressing up to work at home can put me into a professional and productive mindset.

Online Vs Brick and Mortar Trend

Another fashion trend for pandemic life is online shopping. For those who have a sense of what clothes fit them just by eyeballing photos, online clothes shopping is both convenient and safe.

You can avoid the malls and lineups. If you have health issues, online shopping keeps you safe. Most conveniently, you can shop during your coffee break while you work from home.

As an entrepreneur myself, I would encourage people to shop brick and mortar small businesses, such as clothing boutiques.

Summary

It’s time to refresh your look for the new year. If you’ve been working remotely for a year, you can liven up your pandemic life by trying out some new fashion trends. Dressing up can make you look and feel good. Most importantly, we can recapture how wonderful it felt to look fantastic while at work.

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to make sure you don’t miss the next post!

Mindset Monday: Dealing with Distraction

Distractions can be relaxing. Distractions can be harmful. How you deal with distractions determines if you can manage your time or watch it slip away on you. This week, keeping myself focused has been challenging, but I’ve been able to stay on task by working on three key things.

First, I divide my life into compartments to avoid distractions. My personal life stays in its own room and my work life lives in another. This week a close relative has been very ill and I’ve been tired from running errands on her behalf. The situation has been stressful for the family. I’m constantly worried about how she’s doing. However, when it’s time to work, I mentally go into my work room, close the door, and focus only on the task at hand.

Second, I deal with negative distractions by making a list of priorities and assigning an amount of time for each priority. What work tasks do I need to get done by today and which tasks can be done another day if an emergency arises? Sometimes I need to drop what I’m doing and deal with the family situation. Often this means letting go of original plans and revising my list of priorities and tasks to complete.

Third, I set aside time for self care. You could also say I give myself time to become lost in happy distractions. Most times I can keep different aspects of my life in different rooms, but sometimes my mind wanders while I work and I start to worry about my family and how we are all coping with the situation. Setting aside time to do something you enjoy, such as listening to music, watching a movie, or savouring your favourite dessert is a needed break.

What do you do when distractions pull you in multiple directions?

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to make sure you don’t miss the next post!