30 Second Book Summary: How to Remember Names and Faces

We don't forgot people's names--we never really hear and remember them in the first place!

Five Rules When Being Introduced:

1. Be sure to clearly hear their name

2. Try to spell the name

3. Make some comment about the name, when appropriate (e.g., I had a friend in college with that name...)

4. Use their name during the initial conversation

5. Use their name when saying goodbye

Remembering Names

There Are Three Types of Names:

1. Names that already have meaning (e.g., Carpenter, Rivers, Cook)
2. Names that sound like something (e.g., Woodruff [think of rough wood])
3. Names that just seem like a collection of sounds (e.g., Petrocelli, [visualize a pet rolling in jelly] Mangalaro, [visualize yourself mangling an arrow)

Create Standard Visualizations:

• Smith = black smith (visualize a hammer or anvil)
• Jones = picture yourself owning something (Jones/owns)
• Gordon = Garden
• Bill = Dollar bill
• Carson = Picture a car with a little car (it's son) next to it
• ...berg = Picture an iceberg
• ...stein = Picture a beer stein
• Mc... = Mack truck
• ...witz = Brains (for wits)
• ...auer = Clock (for hour)
• ...ger = Lion (growling)

Examples:

• Macmillan = Picture a bunch of Mack trucks milling around
• Capatenakis = Imagine giving the captain a kiss
• Zackavich = Visualize putting a witch in a sack (sack a witch)
• Carrothers = Think of a car with udders (like a cow)
• Jeffries = A chef freezing

Remembering Faces

1. Make eye contact (not the left chest area looking for a name badge) and look at their face
2. Select one outstanding feature of the person's face (e.g., an unusually large nose, puffy eyebrows, etc.).
3. Tie the visualization from above to the outstanding feature (e.g., if Mr. Petrocelli has a large nose, picture your dog rolling in jelly on his nose).

Suppose you meet two Mr. Smith's--one has large ears and one has large lips. You may picture taking your blacksmith hammer out to pound down the ears closer to the man's head for one, and giving the other a fat lip with the same hammer for the other.

Remembering comes down to paying attention; the above tips are just tools to pause, focus, and anchor.

30 Second Book Summary: The Dip

In the beginning, starting something new is fun. Then it gets hard (what Seth calls "the dip"). Then eventually it gets better. Lots of people quit when they hit the dip. That makes it somewhat rare to find folks who've made it through to the other side. That scarcity creates value. We should "lean into the dip" and go for it when we have a chance at being the best. Otherwise, quit as fast as you can and move on to something where you can be number one because in today's micro-fractured markets, being less than the best is basically worthless. Quit all cul de sac's (dead ends) as well. They sometimes feel like dips but in the end they just waste resources that could be thrown at getting through a promising dip.

And being the best in the world is subjective and defined by the consumer. "The world" to them, can mean who has the best bakery within a three block radius of their home (the distance they are willing to walk to on a Saturday morning).

In Tom Peters' book Design, Seth puts it this way:

Think of the smallest conceivable market and describe a product that overwhelms it with its remarkability. Go from there.

Book Summary: How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds or Less

Mr. Frank says there are three main elements to any good message:

1. 1. Have one clearly defined objective.
2. 2. Make sure you're talking to the right person who can help you accomplish your objective. Know all you can about them and what they want.
3. 3. Use one clear approach.

He makes several other points that help to reinforce and make the above three elements more effective:

Start your message with a one sentence hook. This is a statement or question (he prefers questions) specifically designed to grab the attention of your audience.

The body of the message should answer the who, what, where, why, when and how questions. Use the following tools to make it more interesting:

• Imagery
• Clear, simple language
• Personalized stories and anecdotes that help demonstrate your point
• Emotional appeals

You should end with a strong close where you ask the audience to do something:

• Ask them to take action
• Ask them for a reaction
• Use a "hidden close" if appropriate
• A combination of the above.