One day I went to the bank to deposit some money I had received from a freelance gig I was working on that month. I walked up to the bank teller, gave her my money and account information, and waited patiently for her to do her thing.
To my surprise, however, she asked me a question just as she was finishing my deposit:
“So, what kind of business is this?”
*GULP*
“Uh, well… it’s a… I do Internet marketing for small business owners as a freelancer. It’s only a side-business for now…but, uh.. yea.”
*FACE PALM*
My lack of a compelling answer ruined a chance to tell the banker (and the other people listening) what I do. It was a missed marketing opportunity.
Do you have a compelling answer ready for potential clients?
As I walked out of the bank – and on my entire walk back to the train station that day – I kept asking myself the bank teller’s question:
What kind of business is this?
I realized that my answer to this question is critical, because it’s my “marketing pitch” to potential clients.
Being able to communicate what you do in a simple, straightforward, compelling, attention-grabbing way is one of the best ways to market your business to potential clients.
Sure, I may not help the banker with social media marketing (althought, maybe I would’ve…), but one day a potential client is going to walk up to me (and you) and ask that same, ultra-important question: What kind of business do you run?
Will I be ready to answer them? Will you be ready to answer them? Will our answer communicate the benefits of our business to those potential customers? Will our answer show a solution to a problem the client has and wants solved?
What I should have said was, I help small business owners use social media and the Internet to expand their business.
Simple. Straightforward. Compelling.
So, let me ask you: What kind of business do you run? What does your business do for others?
