Networking whether face to face or on-line is stressful for many people, especially when new to self-employment.
They worry about what to say and how to say it.
That age-old question – “What do you do?!”
Have you ever been to a networking event and your eyes glazed over with how people answer the question “What do you do?” Most people reply with their job e.g. I’m a lawyer or accountant etc.
This misses a trick and also an opportunity for you to engage people and share what sets you apart from other people who do what you do. Meeting prospects or contacts at networking events is just the start of the relationship, so why not start it with positive impact? What is needed is a great ‘verbal business card’.
What is a ‘verbal business card?’
A verbal business card is a creative and relevant way of answering the question What do you do? in a way that is memorable and evokes curiosity, allowing you to continue and develop the conversation. It also keeps you interested and be interesting to them. Just as your printed business card reflects your brand and company, setting it apart from other companies, so your verbal business card needs to too, only appealing to people’s ears instead of their eyes.
Examples; for a roofer “I keep the roof over my customers’ heads and them out of the gutter”, a photographer “I shoot people”, a business psychologist “I stop people from going mad at work” or an accountant: “I am a bean counter with a difference.”
What could your verbal business card be?
5 tips to create a verbal business card
- What makes you different to other people who do what you do?
- What’s a creative or metaphorical way of expressing how you help people/what you do?
- What’s the benefit of what you do to your customers?
- If you had to choose 1 word that makes your approach distinctive, what would it be?
- If you weren’t allowed to speak to explain your job, what prop would you hold?
Self-reflective question
If you were explaining your work to a young child, what would you say so that they understand?
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