“What Do You Do?”

“What do you do?” The dreaded question heard around the world at networking events and meetups. It is inevitably the first question you get when you are introduced to a new person in a business setting. Outside of business, no one cares what you do and there is usually a context of relationship by the person who introduces you to new people. You are their spouse, family member or friend. They do the hard work for you by describing you and often why they are introducing themselves. But in business? YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN KID! So what do you say?

If you have a strong, connected brand, you know EXACTLY what to say. It is concise, descriptive, and has an air of mystery or intrigue. If your brand is a logo your mother's sister's friend's step-son in college did for you with your favorite colors and you only have that one blurry version on Facebook as your profile, then honey, you don’t have a brand. 

Take a moment to reflect on the brands you use every day. Look at your appliances. Your TV/remote. Your computer. Your phone. What do these brands have in common? They are solid. They know who they are. They know “What they do”. They also all got you to spend more than a few dollars on their product. Why? Was their messaging clear? Did they get you with the price? (Commodities usually do, but that is not the point here.) Were they highly rated? Did you see an ad or hear about it from a friend who had one? Think about brands and what they represent. They represent people who create something that is worth talking about. Worth spending money on and time with. 

You spend a lot more time with your laundry machines and dishwasher than you probably know. If they didn’t know what they did, would you have purchased them? Probably not. If a washing machine doesn't know if it washes clothes or washes dishes, you probably would move and look for another one. 

The same goes for your Brand. Know who you are and what you do. This is quite simple, but shouldn’t business be simple? I think so. 

Stay tuned for more insights on branding, websites, social media, email marketing, and much more.