What Exactly Do You Do Again?
How often do you end up in a situation where you get to network, meet new people or attend a social event with people you have never met and want to promote your new business opportunity or service
Most of the time the most common and easiest question people ask to break the ice and start a conversation is;
‘So what do you do’
We answer, Sales Manager, Lawyer, Business Owner – does this sound familiar? Of course, I am sure that at some time we have done exactly that – provided a one word answer that gets the person on the receiving end of this engaging conversation uttering a ‘ oh, that’s interesting’
Let me be a little direct here. This kind of one word answer is absolutely no good if anything beneficial is to come out of that.
In business, it is important to clearly state in a short period of time in as much detail as possible what it is that you do. Now that does not mean rambling on at the speed of light and trying to get in as much as possible, it does however mean that you are able to summarise the benefit of your company, service or product in such a way that it causes the person you are communicating with to say. Wow. How do you do that? This is also known as your “elevator pitch”.
So lets get clear on this ;
You need to be clear on what it is that you are selling – If you are not sure then how can you expect your client or prospect to be clear.
To enable you to have a clear and concise message you should be aware that people are ;
Concerned only with what your product or service can do for them.
How does it change lives?
How does it improves someone’s work or family life,
What does it do?
What is the before-and-after difference?
A few tips to consider when crafting your message ;
- Become excellent in your area of specialisation. One rule to remember is never to take on more that you can do with excellence. Don’t try and be all things to all people (this ties in nicely with my previous article. ) The Riches are in the Niches- Benefits to small Business
- Avoid mediocrity, most companies once they have mastered their area of expertise, start to offer everything in a mediocre way.
- Pick a single focus and concentrate just on that. Become an expert at what you do, an expert not only in your own mind but in the mind of others.
- Focus in on what you have to offer. By remaining focussed we attract people who want what we have to offer, this reduces rejection, or feelings of not being good enough and also improves our productivity in our business.
What can you do to day to turn things around in your business – where can you focus your attention more? What message to you need to craft to keep your prospect or client saying, Wow. How do you do that?
Great post, and so totally true.
Since I am a “literal” person, the question about what I do is actually a little offensive for I do much more than business. At one point in my life, I used to respond with a clarifying question asking if the person was interested in knowing how I earned money or what I did for, to me, they are two different questions. 🙂
Regardless of my bias, what you’ve written about being succinct and clear in your response about your business is very true. When you are out and about interacting with the public at large, you honestly never know who you will encounter who might be interested in your services. Preparing this “elevator speech” in your mind will assist you in stating it accurately enough to invite further conversation, if this is the case.
This is sort of an odd segue but attracting prospects and customers is somewhat like dating. Those first few minutes can have a lasting impression. Thus, it is a good idea to bring your wits along with you and be mindful of how you present yourself in public, both online or offline.
Hi Brenda,
never thought someone would come with a post on that subject one day and you did!! Many times it happened that I talked to people and whenever I asked that question they just answered in a way letting me feel that I shouldn’t have asked that question!! Guess I should be sharing this post 😉
Great post, thanks!
Diana MEYER