I have just returned from my brother’s wedding in Bali, one which the bride and groom only just made it to. Why? The ‘bride to be’ did a sterling job of smashing her foot into pieces a week before jetting off to a Bali sunset to marry her love.
The bad news… the break was so bad that recovery would mean 6 weeks bedridden with her leg in a cast.
The good news… the break was so bad that no more damage could be done. Her surgeon ordered her to go to Bali, get married and on return would fix everything.
The memorable stuff was:
- the bride and groom actually made it;
- the groom walked down the aisle as the brides’ wheelchair and crutches wouldn’t work in the sand;
- no one at the wedding could understand the celebrant with his strong accent and the fact that the speakers were wired up to the pool area 500 meters away (for holiday makers – not the wedding party to enjoy) and;
- the wedding certificate noted the ‘bride’ as Clint and the ‘groom’ as Nicole…priceless.
The moral of the story:
Firstly, note to self…..don’t fall off a 2 meter wall one week before getting married overseas.
Secondly, we have far more recall for the things that don’t go right or that are different from the norm. It makes a more interesting story to tell and is far more memorable than when everything is perfect and all goes to plan. Stories that are different like this allow people to connect and enables them to relate to the event almost as if they were there themselves. This is extremely powerful when trying to convey a message and trigger people’s emotions.
How unforgettable are you?
What are the interesting and memorable stories or events that you share with your prospects and clients to help reinforce why they should join you, stay with you, pay you and refer you?
They may be real life examples of your own, case studies of how you have helped other clients, analogies, examples from other industries etc.
The key is to make sure your story highlights the point you are trying to make and is powerful enough to be… unforgettable.
