Do Unforgettable Work

Do unforgettable work. This is not hyperbole.

At minimum, customers must think you are superhuman. Respond instantly. Finish work quickly. Check in frequently. Proactively prevent problems. Deliver stellar quality. Exceed expectations in every possible dimension.

To be unforgettable, embrace experience. Create arbitrary rules and rituals. Ask your clients to participate in your personal process. Lead people on journeys. Working with you must feel surprising and special, even if your clients already know what's coming.

To be unforgettable, embrace empathy. Make somebody's year. Listen intentionally and take authentic action. If a client mentions that they collect spoons, visit a local antique store and mail them some local finds. And if you don't know what would delight your clients, you aren't asking enough questions or listening closely enough.

To be unforgettable, embrace eccentricity. Magnify your strengths and weaknesses and passions. Become a caricature of yourself. Charisma can't be copied, but it can be created. Become someone worth talking about.

There are no shortcuts. Hand-written notes and flowers and donuts are cute but completely forgettable. Exceed common convention. Continually reinvent your reputation.

This essay is part of How to Productize Yourself.