So there you are at a social or business event. You are in line for appetizers (bet you can't wait to get to those spicy wings) and you strike up a conversation with the person next to you in line. You introduce yourselves, shake hands, and quickly the question, "What do you do for a living” is asked.” It's the moment of truth!

Ordinarily one's response is a generic, dull, uninspired, noun stating, "what you are” instead of "what you do.” It is as if one were to say, "I sell a commodity” or even worse, "I AM a commodity.” Once that commodity statement is finished, the response is typically a tepid "uh huh” accompanied with glazed-over eyes. That's not the response you want is it?

If you want to attract business, your tactic should be to engage the person you are speaking with so you can impress them with the benefits of being your client. In order to impress, you have to describe your product or services in terms the listener can relate to and to make them understand what makes you stand out from your competition.

Imagine if a banker said, "I help people maximize their ability to finance their business” or a florist saying, "I make brides feel so special on their wedding day” instead of "I'm a banker, "I'm a florist.” If you engage your listener the response you get is usually, "how do you do that?” It allows you to talk about your creativity, your passion for being of service, your level of quality, your commitment to making a difference in your clients' lives. It allows you to tell a story that adds the very human emotions of pain, hope, trust, fear, and appreciation as well as resolution, commitment, and ultimately "happy endings.” Your listener can relate to that story, can imagine being in that situation, and will become emotionally attached to story's people, situations, and outcomes. So create a story to describe, "what you do for a living.”

It was a dark and stormy night…