Chocolate’s easy to sell, right? But how about in a recession economy? Or how about in a small town? What would motivate me to buy chocolate? Well, a loving wife, for one thing. So there I went, into the chocolate store. I bought her some stuff, but then, I saw this:

This is Rex’s Outrageous Road Crew Crunch. This particular bag, and it’s worth clicking that graphic and looking at the bigger picture, is called “Asphalt.” It’s like Chex Mix drizzled with really high quality chocolate. I know this because Pat who runs Carriage Town Chocolates told me about the quality of the chocolate.

Look at the back of the bag:

There’s a story there. In fact, the whole EXPERIENCE is a story. If you didn’t already click through to Rex’s site, do so, and get the larger story. It’s brilliant.

And this is where personalization matters.

Look at this great card I received by Cheryl Smith of Culture Smith Consulting. She wrote me a nice and personal letter, and left me with a warm impression. Do I need her services right now? No. Will I think of her because I’ve got that card sitting on my desk? Absolutely.

Professional speaker Stephen Hopson sent me a card, too. I got it on the same day as Cheryl’s, actually. What a great day for me. Stephen was nice because he reminded me about some great moments we shared at SOBCon 08, and gave me a warm feeling.

In both cases, Cheryl and Stephen send me messages through Twitter and email and Facebook on and off throughout the week. I’m not feeling like I don’t know them, or haven’t heard from them, and yet, these bits certainly add to the feeling of personalization and personality.

How are YOU approaching the problem of being the same as everyone else? Because it’s out there. Are you doing something about it?