Finding creative ways to stand out to your clients

I’m sure you’re quite familiar with the logo of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel — the lion facing the side with his tongue out. I imagine the board of directors spent a long time studying that. What should they do with the logo? Should they have the tongue in? Left or right for the positioning? Should the tongue be in or out? Who cares? What people care about is the experience. They care about how they feel. Standing out from the crowd. It is always the experience that matters. The way you make people feel. Never forget that.

One of my biggest clients had bought a puppy, which the whole family adored. Now, the puppy was quite naughty. It chewed everything, and it jumped up all the time. My client was aware of the fact I always dress up for my business meetings. I always have nice clothes and high heels. So she was thinking, I’ve got to be careful. She emailed me and said — because she has a great sense of humor — that rubber boots might be more appropriate to protect my legs than the heels I normally wear.

I thought about this, and I thought, How can I do something that is different? So I dressed up in a onesie of a Dalmatian dog. And I showed up at their front door in my onesie. She absolutely loved it. She thought it was terrific. She took photos. She spoke to friends about it. One friend was so impressed, he rang up because he wanted to become a client. 

Just be different. Stand out from the crowd.

Chris Leach, Dip PFS, is a 41-year MDRT member from Cardiff, Wales. Hear more in the August episode of MDRT Presents: