Can you describe what your business does, clearly, succinctly, and in a way that makes others curious enough to learn more? Here are a few tips for crafting an effective marketing message:
Keep it short and simple. Less is more. The goal with answering the question, “What do you do?” is to answer with one or two sentences that will intrigue the listener enough to say, “Tell me more!”
When you answer the question, state what you do, who you do it for, and the results they’ll receive from working with you. Here is an example of what I might say: “I am a Life Architect. I help business professionals create blueprints for living a purpose-driven and and productive life, at work and at home.”
Whenever possible, learn more about the other person, so your response can be tailored to their circumstances and needs. Here is an example of how I might customize my response if I was talking with a chiropractor: “I work with healthcare professionals to clarify their priorities and create systems to keep them focused on what’s most important.”
Once you have answered the question, “What do you do?” focus the rest of the conversation on the person asking the question. Pay attention to how many times you say “I” or “we” and concentrate on using the words “you” and “your” as much as possible. YOU and YOUR are two of the most powerful words in the English language for building relationships.
Although being a business professional can include setbacks and times of discouragement, being fueled by your own passion and having a positive attitude will see you through the rough patches.
You can get particularly discouraged when you create an attachment to how something will happen. What if you could let go of your attachment to the “how” and allow divine intervention to work out the details? One way to determine if you are attached to the outcome is to ask yourself, “Am I giving to give, or am I giving to get?”
One of my favorite books is The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. In the book, the authors share five laws of stratospheric success. Keep these in mind as you are sharing your business offerings with others:
- The law of value: your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.
- The law of compensation: your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.
- The law of influence: your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.
- The law of authenticity: the most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.
- The law of reciprocity: The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.
When it comes down to it, it’s all about you and the benefit you offer your customer, not the product or service you sell. Your habits make up who you are.
How do you answer “What do you do?” Please share!
If you’d like to explore the answer to this question in a phone conversation, please schedule a no-cost discovery call with me.
People do business with people they know, like, trust and REMEMBER. If you are not staying in touch on a regular basis with your existing customers and prospects, you will eventually be forgotten. Request your free copy of my ebook, 7 Secrets to Fabulous Follow-up, to learn secrets I’ve discovered over the years about how to effectively follow up, build relationships, and stay top-of-mind.
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