If you are in sales or in a client facing role your goal is to connect with your audience. The ability to leave an imprint, a memory of your meeting and what transpired is what separates a great salesperson or relationship professional from the merely good ones.

Here is where an understanding of your personal brand comes into play. Nothing sells better than passion, authenticity, knowing your differentiating qualities, and being able to effectively communicate this wherever you go.

How can you make those meetings memorable consistently and constantly?

Sell your service or product but give away your stories.

There is nothing more memorable than a story. And a story that connects your passion with the reason for your being there makes the experience memorable because it is unique. Stories enable you to put a human face on the product or service you are offering. You are more authentic, more real, and able to build the trust that often cements relationships.

I recently attended a talk on social media marketing given by Gary Vaynerchuk. He is a great speaker – passionate, knowledgeable, plain spoken – and a gifted story teller. He began the evening as he usually does by sharing his personal history with the audience. He wove the story of his family’s immigration to the US from Russia to the passion he developed for collecting baseball cards to what ultimately became his first empire building success, winelibrary.tv. The evening was memorable, not just because of the information covered, but by the stories that were uncovered.

Stories focused on your passion and how they got you to where you are provide a basis for others to connect with you. Always been focused on maintaining order? Toy soldiers all in a row, barbie dolls lined up, games and cd’s alphabetized and color coded? How does this connect with the service you provide or the person you have become? What is it about your past that makes you an expert at what you do today?

Your personal brand is about ALL of you not just your skills, abilities, and talents.

So tell your (hi)story – make those moments memorable and provide your clients with the opportunity to connect with you on many levels.

What other ways do you have to humanize these meetings and make them memorable?

Utilizing her experience of over 25 years, Mary Rosenbaum helps careerists and entrepreneurs position themselves so they can stand out from the competition. Get her free report Top Strategies for Getting Visible and Getting Ahead.