You’re a hardworking copywriter who would like to get more clients. You meet a prospect — let’s call him Steve — at a networking event.
You get along pretty well, spending twenty minutes chatting about work, succulent plants, and the crazy behavior of three-year-old Cocker Spaniels.
As this happens, the filing clerk in Steve’s memory pulls out a crisp new index card and starts making notes. (This is a metaphorical file clerk, not an actual tiny person living in Steve’s brain.)
The filing clerk writes down your name and a few key details: you’re tallish, brown hair, married, love to water ski, have lots of plants, good sense of humor.
When you leave, Steve’s filing clerk decides where this card should be filed in Steve’s memory. Whether that card ends up in the right place (which means more business for you) or the wrong place (business disaster) is up to you.
Here’s what makes the difference.
1. Disaster.
Steve has no clear idea of what you do, so you get filed under Everyone I Have Ever Met.
This is a box the size of a cargo container and includes the index cards of everyone from the girl who stole his pencil in kindergarten to the barista who made his coffee this morning. You will never, ever be remembered if you get filed in there.
2. Obscurity.
Steve remembers you’re a copywriter, and so his filing clerk pops your card in the Copywriter box. This box is the size of a shoebox and contains almost a hundred cards.
Almost every time Steve accesses this information, he goes to the same half-dozen names he’s already familiar with. He’s not likely to ever think of you when he needs to hire, refer, or partner with a copywriter.
3. Memorability.
Steve remembers your copywriting specialty, and his filing clerk puts your card in a much smaller box. (In...
