A Sweet Way to Stand Out and Get Noticed!

POSTED BY: Arleen, FILED AS: Brand Awareness, ON: Sunday, April 13th, 2014

beyond-ideas-cookies

I’m not complaining, but there is always that one person who likes to bring leftover baked goods into the office. You know what I mean. For example, around any holiday while you are trying to be “good” at every turn there is another treat calling your name? Well, this clever designer used the irresistible temptation for baked goods to her advantage.

Her name is Crystal Nunn and she came up with a genius idea while applying for a job at London’s We Are Social. She brought them cookies! Not any cookies, cookies made with ingredients from one of We Are Social’s brands. The promotional cookies were packaged in a box that she had designed and labeled with clever self-promotion commentary. In addition, she wrapped the box in brown shipping paper and marked it “urgent”. I love that! Who doesn’t open a package marked “urgent” immediately?

Also inside the box was a flash drive, which contained her resume and design portfolio. Nunn received a response within the hour of delivery requesting an interview. Needless to say, she got the job. Her idea was a great way to stand out and get noticed.

Here are three ways in business or in life that you can stand out and get noticed too!

One – Diversify

Do you find yourself doing the same thing all the time? Diversify your marketing strategy. Ideas that are different attract immediate attention. Allow yourself the time to come up with a unique idea.

Two – Respond

So now that you’ve got their attention with your great idea make sure you follow through. You don’t want to get people excited about something and then keep them waiting. If you do that then they will lose interest just as quickly as you grabbed their attention.

Three – Do More

Do more and go the extra mile. Adding a personal touch like Nunn did by baking cookies shows that she is willing to go above and beyond to impress her employers. Gourmet promotional gifts are a great way for you to show your sweet side too! No baking necessary!

Are you willing to go above and beyond to impress a client? Have you ever received such a gift that really made an impression on you? What have you done to stand out? Was it a success?

50 thoughts on “A Sweet Way to Stand Out and Get Noticed!”

  1. What an excellent idea, a great way to stand out from the crowd. For a position that would expect a high degree of creativity, her concept was brilliant.

    I had someone come in last week who brought in a packet of spice with her name on it. The spice was excellent by the way, but the unusual nature of the gift would have stood out for me even if it wasn’t an excellent blend.
    Debra Yearwood recently posted…AnticipationMy Profile

  3. Personally we have so many people at our office bring in sweet goods that the surprise factor is all but gone and the waistlines have increased. Lucky for me I am traveling so much that it affects me little. I did have one person give me a coffee table book once on a place I had recently traveled…that was a very memorable gift.

  4. Hi Arleen,
    I must say, Crystal was very creative, so it’s easy to understand why she got the job.

    In response to your second point, I think timing, like momentum, is really important.
    Crystal was also clever in what she did to stand out and get noticed.

    As to your call of action, what I offer is always worth more than anyone pays for.
    In this way, I add more value and people are satisfied.

    Kind Regards,
    Bill
    William Butler recently posted…Inspiration From 25 Top Thought Leaders Of Then and NowMy Profile

  5. I love what she did as well. Anytime you can show your creativity and you get a positive response, it certainly does set you apart from the crowd. It is a pretty crowed world we live in these days. Your post has caused me to think. I ask myself, do I need to up my game a bit? Do I need to do something a bit more out of the box? These are questions I think I do need to ask as my life is in the throws of change. 🙂
    Susan Cooper recently posted…Vivino App and Online Community: #WineMy Profile

  7. Great story, Arleen – thanks for sharing! I enjoyed the reminder of coming up with unique ideas to stand apart from the crowd.

    I am not sure if i would call it diversification but i totally agree with the notion… I believe taking the time to research and customize your approach is a valid tip not only for when looking for a job but when marketing a product, a service, a business altogether.

    And if we think about it for a moment, it probably isn’t quite hard either – it just takes time and a little bit of focus and creativity – not sure why people are reluctant to do that. It shows personality and it sure pays off well 🙂
    Diana recently posted…How to Write a Freelance Job Post to Attract Suitable CandidatesMy Profile

  8. What a fabulous idea that Crystal had – it takes real ‘thinking outside the box’ to come up with that idea. I did something sort of along the same thinking but in a different setting. Applying and accepting grants was part of my last position – at a cheque presentation, when I received the cheque, I in turn handed each of the presenters with a signed book of our organization’s history (which is very interesting). Needless to say, they all remembered me by name the following year.
    Lenie

  9. I went above and beyond for a client, was at their beck and call – I was always there when I was needed 24/7 – solved their problems as quickly as possible and at a reasonable price too – I did this for 9 years until one day I was booted to the curb because a family member finished school and was starting the same business – (however not 24/7 🙂
    …Maybe I should of baked cookies 🙂

  12. Great idea to put the “urgent” tag on the box. I saw lots of authors giving out trinkets at last year’s PNWA conference, but the one that stuck with me was the book related to a murder that took place in a garden, and it came with a packet of seeds. I’m afraid I’m not very creative in this sort of promotional area and will be looking to learn much more as the years go by.
    Jeri recently posted…#WriteTip: Breaking Habits of SeeingMy Profile

  16. Hi Arleen; I loved the example. and you are right you have to stand out, deliver what you promised, and then do even more. its the main reason I blog record videos and do hangouts to stand out from my more established competitors by offering services they don’t. I also use social media far more aggressively than they do. And when looking for potential buyers of amusement equipment I cast my net much wider. thanks for sharing and take care, max
    maxwell ivey recently posted…Calliope Corner episode 3 a Chance WipeoutMy Profile

  18. Hi Arleen,

    What an incredible success story! I read first of being creative about getting job in the book “Think And Grow Rich” by Napeleon Hill where he shares how he got a job in the largest firm at that time while he was still in school and how he got attention of the company owner through a simple letter.

    Yes, what you shared is very important and it’s amazing how simple acts of creativity, a good follow up and persistence (in some cases) can yield tremendous results.

    Thank you for sharing.

    Regards,
    Kumar
    Kumar Gauraw recently posted…Top 10 SEO Bloggers To Follow For SEO, Traffic And Conversion TipsMy Profile

  20. Arleen, my husband’s family are the best gift giver’s I know. They taught me how to be a better gift giver and go the extra mile. It means alot when people do that for you. My husband wrote me a letter of instructions for Christmas. He gave me seven gifts but made a road map out of it. He made it fun and exciting and it made me feel special. This gives me something to think about and this was a great post! =)
    Crystal Ross recently posted…From melt downs to awesome realizationsMy Profile

  21. That was a great example of how to get noticed. I’m the type of person that likes to play the back ground. I do what needs to be done to get the job done but I don’t like the attention or a big deal being made about my accomplishments.
    Jay recently posted…Would You Stay With Someone Like YouMy Profile

  22. It was such a nice idea by a creative Crystal to stand out of the crowd. But as you said in return of positive respond one have to be very quick and must not keep other waiting.
    Her idea was great to get a response.
    Great tip to follow that we must not always go for common ways and look out of box to grasp attention.
    andleeb recently posted…Mysterious MoguichengMy Profile

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