Catch Phrases
“I don’t get no respect.” When you hear that phrase, who do you think of? Of course the answer is Rodney Dangerfield. He made a career from that one sentence. Jimmy Walker had “Dy-No-MITE.” The Simpsons have several catch phrases; Eat My Shorts, D’oh and Why You Little!! People who watch these television shows and stars recognize instantly who they are. It is not even necessary to know the stars name. When describing him or her, a person will say, “You know he’s the one who says, ‘To the MOON, Alice!!’” Your friend would probably say, “Oh you mean Jackie Gleason from The Honeymooners.”
A catch phrase would work for you when you are trying to build a personal brand. It doesn’t have to be a profound statement or a clever quip. It could be just a simple phrase that you say. The way you greet people could be your catch phrase. “Hi, it’s a great day!!!” or “Hi-de-ho” are two examples. If you say these to everyone you meet then people will not need to know your name. You would be the guy who says “that” every morning. Soon your name will be associated with your behavior. And at that point your own personal catch phrase would have been created.
If you correctly use your catch phrase you can almost guarantee maximum personal exposure. Your face will pop into the minds of the people you want to just be hearing your phrase. You can over use your catch phrase to a certain degree. Make it seem natural, not forced. Act like its something you have always done. Practice it if you have to. A catch phrase is a lot like a famous line from a play. “To be or not to be”, everyone knows that is Hamlet. So treat your catch phrase like a performance. Practice and hone it to theatrical perfection. You are trying to sell yourself so make it a good product.
