“So, what do you do?”
Most business professionals feel awkward when they’re asked this question. But being able to respond confidently and correctly is vital for making connections. Your response is so important it has a special name: The Elevator Pitch. It’s called that because it should take no longer than an elevator ride to tell. In that short time, you must: 1) explain what you do, 2) express your value to the listener, and 3) showcase what makes you special. That’s a lot to do in 30 seconds! But there’s a trick to giving the perfect elevator pitch: using client stories.
Imagine you’re a financial advisor: You dread being asked “what do you do?” The question has started to make you nervous, so you nervously tell the questioner your job title. Awkward silence. They don’t have any follow up questions, so they change the subject. You breathe a sigh of relief: It’s over. But you didn’t make a very good impression. You felt awkward so you sounded awkward, and that’s never a good way to introduce yourself. Maybe you’ve even started to believe that your job is just plain boring, and nobody will ever want to hear about it. But that isn’t true at all.
Here’s where client stories come in. They can help explain what you do in a way that is interesting and engaging for everybody. This is how that might look:
“What do I do? Well, let’s take my client Sharon: She’s a 33-year old young professional just starting to build her savings but still living paycheck to paycheck. I help young professionals like Sharon build a plan, ensure her savings are in the right accounts for growth, and lead her in the right directions to achieve her dreams.”
Do you see why this approach is better? Even if your listener doesn’t know much about finance, they have financial worries and aspirations just like Sharon does. They may find it difficult to understand the technical aspects of your role, but a client story can help them see the value of your services to people just like themselves.
By making the story about your client Sharon, the listener imagines being your client already. Even if your listener already has a financial advisor, they may have a family member or friend who does need one. When the subject comes up in conversation weeks or months later, they’ll think of your story. There are 90 thousand other financial advisors in Canada, but they will remember your unique story and how you helped someone they can relate to.
Prepare for your elevator pitch by picking a client story and telling it again and again until you’ve got it down pat. Ask a friend or colleague to play the listener and practice on them. As you get more comfortable, try practicing more stories so you can vary your pitch. Client stories are an effective and engaging way to tell people about what you do. Once you get comfortable telling them, you’ll present yourself as confident and capable.
So the next time someone asks you “what do you do?” follow these three simple steps: Smile, take a deep breath, and then tell them a story.