Sandler Success Principles: 11 Insights that will change the way you Think and Sell makes you SMARTER. Why the capital letters? Because SMARTER is an acrostic – a word with letters that when taken in order spell out an easy-to-remember phrase.
Sandler Success Principles became an instant Amazon bestseller last week, in part because Sandler’s SMARTER acrostic is famous for changing the lives of people who have taken Sandler Training.
SMARTER turns out to be, a smarter way to set and reach goals in your career and business. What’s does SMARTER stand for? A goal that is:
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Relevant
T = Time-bound
E = Enjoyable
R = Rewarding
See how easy it is to remember Sandler’s method of goal-setting? And, that’s not even one of the 11 major insights in Sandler Success Principles. Personally I love Reach Back and After Burn (more about those next week).
But, SMARTER is super sticky – easy to remember.
Acrostic 101
Why would YOU want an acrostic?
An acrostic would make you “sticky.” It makes a whole phrase or idea memorable. And stickiness is exactly what YOU need, when it comes to messaging your personal brand (what you mean), your solution (what you sell) and your business’ brand (what your organization stands for).
What if you aren’t sticky?
If we can’t remember you, then when that perfect opportunity comes across our desk: we’ll give it to someone else – someone we can remember, or who called at the magical moment when we needed to pay someone well to do something grand (your perfect opportunity). You miss out, if we don’t have a refrain in our brain that’s stuck in our minds about you, as the ideal person to hire for this opportunity.
How do you get an acrostic?
You could create one using your name. For example, let’s call you Ben, an engineer in nanotechnology, looking for an investment in a budding start-up or perhaps, a new job. You’d introduce yourself at a networking event, by saying,
“I’m Ben Frank. You can remember me by remembering this phrase:Best Engineer in Nanotechnology – that’s Ben:
B for best
E for engineer, and
N for nanotechnology.”
Finish that off by saying your whole name: “That’s me, Ben. Ben Frank. Excuse the pun, but frankly, I’m the best engineer in nanotechnology.”
(The bold is for emphasis). Then, present your business card – with your acrostic spelled out on the back of it.
Of course, it’s corny! And it works! (BTW, notice the repetition – try to get in at least three impressions of your name in your introduction).
Almost anything you do can be made into an acrostic. That makes it easy for us to remember you and associate your unique qualities with your brand.
So take what you have: your name, your personal brand’s values, your company name, your product or service, your motto or anything else that will make us know and love you – and leverage it as a way for us to remember you. An acrostic is one way to do that.
