BE MEMORABLE, NOT DELETED

I picked up a new book when I was in the Strand Book Store in New York City (home of 18 miles of books). It's called The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference by two advertising executives. Its premise is that attention to detail is the key to all sorts of things: getting ahead in life, selling more products, losing weight, exercising more...

While I like the concept as it relates to business, at times the writers sink into self-help pop-psychology too much (e.g. break down your 40 minute run on the treadmill into small-minute increments). And while I agree with them when they advocate making a good impression all time (never know who's going to matter!) and breaking down jobs or problems in to small components to make it easier to tackle, they don't answer the question of how you determine whether a small detail is "vital" or one of those details in which you can get "bogged" down. Maybe that's Part II.

In any case, the reason I'm writing about the book is page 55. At the end of each chapter they summarize their points in sections labelled "Small Change", and on page 55 it's "Do the Write Stuff." They point out the opportunity presented by the fact that "[n]owadays, finding anything more personal than a Pottery Barn catalog in the mail is rare." We agree with them when they say "[p]eople are all the more surprised and delighted when a handwritten note does appear in their mailbox."

And while we collect these references to using the handwritten note as a tool, we like that the authors also point out the benefits: "If you want to make a positive impression, take the few extra minutes to pick up a pen and write a note. You're more likely to become memorable instead of merely deleted." (as in a deleted email message)

What would you rather be?