So Rod … What Do You Do?
By Rod Moore on May 14, 2008 in Networking
If you are trying to market your small business then no doubt you have tried networking.
Networking can be a great strategy to build and grow your business if you know how to use it correctly.
If you attend networking events then at some stage you are going to be asked …
“So Rod … What Do You Do?”
How you answer this question can make or break you at a networking event.
We have all had the experience of asking someone else that question only to have them launch into a 20 minute sales pitch for their business. And you already know how difficult it can be to escape those people right?
So here is what most people will do.
They will have prepared their so called ‘elevator speech’, rehearsed it in the car on the way to the event and when asked the question promptly launch into something like …
‘Well Im a Financial Planner. Im with Peter, Jones & Eddie company. Did you know we have been serving business owners in the area for 25 years now. We specialise in …. blah blah blah ….’
Yawn !!! Who CARES !!!!!
So what is a better approach?
Well every business provides an end benefit … a solution to someones problem. So why talk about that instead of how you achieve the end benefit?
The other thing you simply MUST do is engage peoples interest so that they ask you for more information.
Here is how our friend the Financial Planner might approach this …
‘Well what I do is help business owners ensure they become wealthy through their business …’
Can you see the difference here?
In the first approach your eyes probably glaze over thinking the other person is trying to sell you financial planning services which of course you do not want right?
But in the second approach, if you were a small business owner … wouldn’t you want to know more?
Wouldn’t you be inclined to ask … ‘Oh really … How do you do that?’
Now if you get someone to the point where they do ask you a question like this be careful how you respond. You do not want to launch into your previously well rehearsed sales pitch.
A good strategy is to have some FREE offer that provides valuable information on a topic such as ‘How Any Small Business Owner Can Plan To Achieve Maximum Wealth Through Their Business’ … or something along these lines.
The free offer could be an audio CD, a DVD, an e-Class, a five page report etc. Something that you give away that adds value and at the same time positions you as a reliable expert source.
So in response to the above question you could simply say …
‘Well I could give you a half hour overview of how we do it now … or, what might be better is how about I send you a complimentary Audio CD on how business owners can achieve maximum wealth through their business?’
Most people are going to respond with yes so you simply say great do you have a card and I will send it to you.
Then you simply want to shift the conversation by asking them lots of questions about them and their business.
Isn’t this a better strategy?
Can you see how you can generate lots of interest using an approach like this?
All you need to do is tailor this approach to your business.
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On May 14, 2008, David Newton said:
Hi Rod,
These days most networking luncheons and breakfasts ask the participants to stand up and say something about their business and who they are. If done corectly, this can work very well.
I.E. I heard one person say at a luncheon event last week at the Sunshine Coast they had free tickets to a seminar. Right after the event they were swamped by business owners.
Conversely, several real estate agents were hardly talking with anyone, they had nothing really new to say to the group. Proves your point well I reckon.
keep selling,
from David Newton