How to stand out in a crowd using your unique identifiers.
There are a lot of people to compete with on this planet. If you are looking for a job, a significant other, or a great opportunity, it helps to stand out from the herd. Or so I’ve heard.
Only You.
In advertising, we are always looking for that thing that only our brand can say. We were the first brand to do ________. We are the only brand to offer ________. We are the only brand that does __________ in Dallas, besides Debbie.
What we are doing is creating a clear and distinguishing image of our brand without an equal competitor. To do this, we create evaluation criteria that we naturally win.
Your Personal Brand
You can do the same thing for your personal brand. To do this, simply find something that makes you stand out. Use the following question as your guide.
What is something you have done that you are fairly confident you are the ONLY person in the considered set to have done?
The considered set means you are the only person in the room, at the party, in the new business pitch, or being interviewed who could say this. When someone asks you to share a fun fact about yourself, this is what they mean. I always think this would be a really fun game to play in prison.
Your Unique Identifiers
This question offers you an opportunity to become unforgettable. It allows you to reach into your bag of uniqueness and pull out that crazy fact, that interesting experience, that crazy condition, that remarkable accomplishment, and hold it up for everyone to see. Like when Anthony Michael Hall holds up Molly Ringwald’s underwear in Sixteen Candles. When you do, you have created your own Unique Identifier.
Your Unique Identifier serves as a valuable story that dramatically increases your memorability. And if you want opportunities to come your way, it helps to stand out from the crowd.
Some Unique Identifiers I use:
- I once pet a hummingbird in the wild.
- I once got stuck in a Murphy bed in Germany.
- My Mom is one of 9 kids and my Dad is one of 12.
- I lived in 5 states by the time I was in 7th Grade.
- Me and Danica Patrick once filled a Prevost motorhome with ping pong balls.
- My older sister Heather and I have the same birthday 2 years apart. And my 2 younger sisters, Alison and Donielle, have the same birthday 2 years apart.
- In high school, I broke the state record in the discus 8 months after having my ACL reconstructed.
- I launched The Weaponry because I had two different clients call me the same day and encourage me to start my own advertising agency.
Key Takeaway
We all have Unique Identifiers. Think about yours. Write them down and keep them handy. Use them at parties, on dates, and in interviews. They give others something interesting and differentiating to remember you by. Just ask Mikhail Gorbachev.
*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.
Originally published at http://adamalbrecht.blog on December 6, 2020.