The BIG Message Articulating What You Do
The BIG Message Articulating What You Do
The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.
Charles Du Bos
The key is making a good first impression that appeals to your prospective clients’ needs. How do you do this? Is there a reliable way to get attention with just a few words?
The way you present your business to the public can have a dramatic affect on how potential customers perceive you and your product or service. A key benefit is that you control your public presentation and can fine tune it so that it communicates your true message to potential customers. First impressions are made on the way you look, and are quickly pursued by the first words out of your mouth. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of small business owners become more aware of the personal power they can create through a professional image and through successfully articulating what they do.
Most professionals and business owners find themselves in situations where they are asked, “What do you do?” Most people respond with a label. I am a Business Coach. I am a management consultant. I repair jewelry. This does not work because people may not understand what you do, or may have preconceived ideas of, let’s say, a used car salesman. It is wise to have a three to five minute elevator speech that is a well-prepared series of phrases about yourself, your company, what you do, how you do it, and with whom. Armed with this speech, you can turn any brief encounter into a big win for you and your business. You can also shorten the version for quick encounters.
Start with the first ten seconds. What if ten seconds is all you get? Tell your audience enough so that they understand what you do and inspire them to want to know more.
Examples:
Ø I work with home manufacturing companies that are tired of losing money because of employee attrition.
Ø We work with companies who are frustrated with losing money because of internal conflict and want to better communicate needs and values.
Ø I work with small business owners struggling to attract more clients and who are looking for ways to design and grow their businesses to make more money and save time consistently.
Ø I work with management teams that are tired of just stuffing it and assist those who desire to value themselves and their team, quickly and on target.
Ø I assist people who suffer from stiffness and joint pain with which they have been dealing all their lives and do not know what to do about it.
Ø I assist entrepreneurs who are ready to grow their own business. First, I help them discover what success means to them and find the vision for their business to implement. I’m your Small Business Coach.
Exercise
Let’s look at a formula, brainstorm, and start crafting your statement of what you can do for people.
I am ________ (your name). I (help, work with, or assist) ________ (name your target market) who are ________ (name their problem, challenge, or issue). ________(a key benefit or why I would do business with you), and ________ (Unique Competitive Advantage – something that sets you apart from your competition.) .
Brainstorm your ten-second to one minute attention getting introduction:
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now that you have written it down, practice out loud several times until you can say it naturally.
Now, brainstorm situations where you can use it and write some scenarios:
Networking______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On the telephone ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On your message or answering machine ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In social settings ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Remember that you want to initiate an interesting conversation. If asked, “How do you do that?” you can always follow up with a story.
“We recently worked with a client who (name the situation)…”
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Say what you did for them
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What happened as a result of your work together? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Your main objective is to get attention, move to your benefit statement, and then to your stories. Your prospect now knows what you do, with whom, and the results, which is perhaps a potential solution to their problems and they will want more. Now that you have your client’s attention, he may be ready to explore working with you, and you can make an appointment to learn more and persuade him to buy from you.
Scripts
Are you prepared when you get voice mail or have to make a telephone call or meet in person? Know what you want to say before you pick up the phone and decide how you want to say it. This is a good way to eliminate your nervousness and will make you sound relaxed and confident on the phone.
The BIG Message Articulating What You Do - To learn more about this author, visit Deborah Baker-Receniello's Website.
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The Big Message: Articulating What You Do
The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.
Charles Du Bos
The key is making a good first impression that appeals to your prospective clients’ needs. How do you do this? Is there a reliable way to get attention with just a few words?
The way you present your business to the public can have a dramatic affect on how potential customers perceive you and your product or service. A key benefit is that you control your public presentation and can fine tune it so that it communicates your true message to potential customers. First impressions are made on the way you look, and are quickly pursued by the first words out of your mouth. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of small business owners become more aware of the personal power they can create through a professional image and through successfully articulating what they do.
Most professionals and business owners find themselves in situations where they are asked, “What do you do?” Most people respond with a label. I am a Business Coach. I am a management consultant. I repair jewelry. This does not work because people may not understand what you do, or may have preconceived ideas of, let’s say, a used car salesman. It is wise to have a three to five minute elevator speech that is a well-prepared series of phrases about yourself, your company, what you do, how you do it, and with whom. Armed with this speech, you can turn any brief encounter into a big win for you and your business. You can also shorten the version for quick encounters.
Start with the first ten seconds. What if ten seconds is all you get? Tell your audience enough so that they understand what you do and inspire them to want to know more.
Examples:
Ø I work with home manufacturing companies that are tired of losing money because of employee attrition.
Ø We work with companies who are frustrated with losing money because of internal conflict and want to better communicate needs and values.
Ø I work with small business owners struggling to attract more clients and who are looking for ways to design and grow their businesses to make more money and save time consistently.
Ø I work with management teams that are tired of just stuffing it and assist those who desire to value themselves and their team, quickly and on target.
Ø I assist people who suffer from stiffness and joint pain with which they have been dealing all their lives and do not know what to do about it.
Ø I assist entrepreneurs who are ready to grow their own business. First, I help them discover what success means to them and find the vision for their business to implement. I’m your Small Business Coach.
Exercise
Let’s look at a formula, brainstorm, and start crafting your statement of what you can do for people.
I am ________ (your name). I (help, work with, or assist) ________ (name your target market) who are ________ (name their problem, challenge, or issue). ________(a key benefit or why I would do business with you), and ________ (Unique Competitive Advantage – something that sets you apart from your competition.) .
Brainstorm your ten-second to one minute attention getting introduction:
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now that you have written it down, practice out loud several times until you can say it naturally.
Now, brainstorm situations where you can use it and write some scenarios:
Networking______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On the telephone ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On your message or answering machine ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In social settings ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Remember that you want to initiate an interesting conversation. If asked, “How do you do that?” you can always follow up with a story.
“We recently worked with a client who (name the situation)…”
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Say what you did for them
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What happened as a result of your work together? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Your main objective is to get attention, move to your benefit statement, and then to your stories. Your prospect now knows what you do, with whom, and the results, which is perhaps a potential solution to their problems and they will want more. Now that you have your client’s attention, he may be ready to explore working with you, and you can make an appointment to learn more and persuade him to buy from you.
Scripts
Are you prepared when you get voice mail or have to make a telephone call or meet in person? Know what you want to say before you pick up the phone and decide how you want to say it. This is a good way to eliminate your nervousness and will make you sound relaxed and confident on the phone.
The BIG Message Articulating What You Do - To learn more about this author, visit Deborah Baker-Receniello's Website.
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 The BIG Message Articulating What You Do
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| The key is making a good first impression that appeals to your prospective clients’ needs. How do you do this? Is there a reliable way to get attention with just a few words?
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Communication Skills - How to Avoid "Misunderstandings"
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What Do People Hear In Your Marketing?
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| At a business mixer when someone asks you, “What do you do?”, tell them and then immediately ask them a question. “What did you hear?” And listen to their response. |
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Michel NerayMichel Neray has over 25 years of experience as an award-winning copywriter, an Internet pioneer, a tradeshow pitchman and a senior sales and marketing executive. An online pioneer, he was one of the first marketing professionals to embrace the Internet by building websites as early as 1993. In 1994, Michel co-authored a book entitled "The Great Crossover: Personal Confidence in the Age of the Microchip", which made it to Jack Canfield's Achiever's Recommended Reading List. Michel founded Portfolios.com in 1995, the world's first online source directory for creative professionals and one of the first websites based on community generated content. Since creating The Essential Message in 2003, Michel has helped thousands of independent professionals and entrepreneurs as well as growing corporations find a better way to differentiate, position and brand themselves. In 2005, his chapter "Everything Starts With A Conversation" was selected as the lead for the book, "Sales Gurus Speak Out" and re-published in 2008 for 'Awakening The Workplace Volume 3'. He is also a co-author of "In the Company of Leaders" (2008) with 40 top North American leadership experts. - Visit Michel Neray's Website |
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 Deborah Baker-Receniello (Visit Deborah's Website) Deborah Baker-Receniello is CEO of DBR Life Strategies & Business Coach, Inc . She is a noted speaker, author, trainer and business coach. If you are serious about playing a bigger game contact Deborah to assist you design and grow yourself personally and your businesses, attracting more clients and making more money www.dbrlifeco ach.com email: deb orah@dbrlifecoach.com Deborah co-authored a best seller, "101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Vol 2"" with Brian Tracy and Zig Ziglar, et al. June, 2006 It has presold 15,000 copies. She is the author of “Why It Works! The Science Behind Manifesting Everything You Desire”and her forthcoming book, ”Play a Bigger Game! Proven Strategies to Design and grow Your Successful Small Business” premieres in 2006.
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