Crafting a polished and focused response to ‘What do you do?’

 Are you able to give a polished answer when someone asks you what you do? Does it roll of your tongue and leaves the listener wanting to know more?

 When I first started out in business, and people enquired about what I did, my answer was, ‘I am a coach’. This was often met with blank expressions and then the response would be ‘‘is that tennis, football, swimming..?’

My business is called ‘Edimo Coaching’ which again doesn’t say a lot about what I do, if you don’t know what coaching is.  And business names as ‘Smith and Associates’ says even less. It does not give the listener any clues as to what services are on offer.

So when someone asks you ‘what do you do’ it is essential to have a well crafted and focused response which tell the listener what you do, how it benefits them and the results they can expect.

A planned and rehearsed introductory message when meeting new contacts such at networking events, cold calling etc will help to capture the listener’s attention. What comes out of your mouth in that first minute will help your listener to gauge whether he wants to hear more about your business or not.     

When crafting your message consider:

 Who do I work with? Do you have a niche or a particular segment of the market that you work with? Example: small business owners, professionals who have started a new business, new business start-ups…   

What problem does my business solve?  Example: little time to work strategically to grow the business; no plan in place to grow the business; not converting enough sales; not getting paid on time /poor cash flow…

What benefits and value will using my product / service bring? What difference will the client see? Example : grow and expand the business; have a plan with objectives, goals and measurements to work from; get more sales; bring more people to their website; increase staff morale, lower absenteeism… 

How do I differentiate from others? What can you offer that is different? Give them an outstanding reason to want to do business with you rather than Jo Blogs. Example: works with all aspects of your business; a proven system /process; money back guarantee…

When writing your introductory message:

• Keep it simple, use plain English, avoid jargon and technical language
• Deliver it with oodles of confidence. Show your enthusiasm, passion and belief in what you do  
• If like me you work with different customer segments, target your message to match your audience. My opening message to a corporate buyer of leadership coaching will be different to that of small business owners
• Practice practice, practice your different messages to perfection

Remember to include a call to action – what would you like to happen next? For example: exchange business card, gain permission to send further information, arrange a meeting….

Do you have an introductory message that you would like to share? Are there any tips that you have found useful when crafting or delivering your message? Would love to hear from you…