What Kind of Business Do You Run?

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. 

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?