I was stopped in my tracks by a familiar smell: My grandmother?s perfume. My grandmother, Ruth, had died several years earlier and I hadn?t smelled that fragrance in a long time.
But just one whiff brought back more than 30 years of good memories. It wasn?t like I had been hosed down with the perfume. It was just a smell that was caught by my average nose.
All of this happened in a matter of seconds. It was as if a part of my brain was turned on again and I was back in the past.
I was reminded of the power of smell and how it can deeply access our memories.
What do people smell when they walk into your office or business? Is it something like cleaning chemicals? Perhaps things have gotten a bit musty over time. Is it a smell that employee take for granted but outsiders notice right away?
Get someone to walk into your space and tell you what they think or rather, smell.
If a whiff of a fragrance can instantly transport me back in time, what kind of impression do you think your surroundings leave with people?
Not sure? Think of it like this, when going into a dentist?s office, would you rather smell toothpaste or flowers? Toothpaste, while being a very useful substance, is a tool. It helps you keep your teeth clean.
Flowers don?t serve as clear cut a purpose but they help lift our frame of mind. During the dead of winter, they bring a promise of spring.
To Clear the Path to more sales, remember to consider our senses. You can write the best sales letter but if it comes on moldy, smelly paper, will it be read? Do you want to give your visitors the cheapest coffee available? And do I need to mention the potential impact of a restroom area?
Before a great idea can reach your customer?s brain it first has to get by their nose.
Other Resources
Leadership: Who Works For You ? Clark Kent Or Superman
Do Your Customers Hold Their Breath?
Attack of the Meeting Monsters
