By Maribeth Kuzmeski

Don’t assume that people talk about the things that are at the core of what your company provides. After all, those things are supposed to be there. What people will remember and talk about are the unexpected things that set you apart. It’s often the small things that grab their attention.

You should leave something behind with the people you encounter: a thought, a memory, or a connection. They won’t talk about the financial products you provide, but they certainly will talk about your service if it is unexpected. If you give them just what they expect, they won’t ever mention it (or give it a second thought).

One financial advisor has given his clients something totally different to talk about. He buys a book for each of his clients that he will be meeting with the following week. He wraps them up and gives them as a special gift after their meeting. He says that people actually talk about the fact he got them a book (ie he thought about them) before they talk about his core offering of investment advice and planning. It has been a unique referral tool for him. You can do something as simple as that. Out of the ordinary gets noticed, it gets talked about, and it gets remembered.