I was making my usual rounds at the local Chamber of Commerce networking sessions this past month. Boy did I come back with plenty of information and stories to share with you! Are you ready for this?

Ok, here we go:

As I walked into the meeting, I was struck by the usual flurry of activity we’ve all come to expect from the more populated Chambers. Nothing wrong here! The more activity the better! Eager to get into the thick of things, I plunged myself into the crowd searching for an individual to approach.

Aha! Off in the corner, the guy with the colorful shirt just looked my way and made eye contact. I smile and say “hello” as I approach. “Who are you with?” The man explains that he does accounting for small businesses. Great! “Annnnndddd?” Ok, so I didn’t voice this question, but I sure as heck was thinking it. It seemed my new friend felt that this explanation was good enough.

I then proceeded to draw him out with open ended questions encouraging him to tell me more about what he did for a living. Yes, he was the owner. Seems he offers some much needed services and resources that most CPA’s don’t. I was impressed… But only a little…

Why? Because I only learned what this mans specialty was through my own line of questioning. Here I am, a fellow small business owner who is a likely prospect and/or source of referrals, and all I had to go on was “I offer accounting services for small business owners.” Maybe that’s a sufficient opening line, but ladies and gentlemen, there are dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of competitors out there who also offer “insert your product or service here.”

If your prospects have to jump through hoops to learn what makes you special, then your marketing is not doing its job! After a 5 - 6 minute conversation we traded business cards and moved on. Overall I collected more than 20 business cards and handed out just as many.

Back at the office I plunked the cards onto my desk to examine my latest collection. I was struck by how many cards were vague and/or downright uninteresting. Plain white card, no information about what he/she does. That’s a crime in my opinion!

In your absence, your business card is your silent salesman. It’s a billboard for your business. Why make the prospect perform mental gymnastics to remember who you are? Which brings me back to the title of today’s post: “What do you do anyway?”

This is an important question you should ask yourself before you prepare marketing materials of any sort. Is it obvious what you do? (Ok, if you own a restaurant, then it’s pretty obvious of course - But how do you differentiate?)

Can you communicate an irresistible benefit on a business card, or on your voice-mail when prospects call in? When prospects come looking for you, you have limited time to draw them in so let’s not waste that time by making them decipher what you’re offering! This is a business, not an archaeological dig!

Make it a great and profitable week!