“What do you do?” might seem like a simple question, but it can strike fear into the heart of the most experienced businessperson. So, I know how difficult it can be explaining your start-up business idea.
If you’re setting up an accountancy business, for example, how do you explain that you’re different from all the other accountants out there?
Added to the fact that you probably don’t want to sound cheesy or too salesy, you don’t want to talk for so long that people get bored, and you don’t want anyone to think you’re just rehearsing an impersonal pitch.
When you think about it like that it gets easier to see why the “What do you do?” question can feel like so scary.
But before you give up in despair, here’s some good news. It is possible to explain what your business does, in ways that are simple, fresh, and compelling.
Here are three ways I use to help my clients talk about their start-up business idea. There should be something here to help you get to grips with this too.
The usual question is, “What do you do?”
That wording naturally puts the emphasis on you, which is why so many of us will automatically mumble something like, “I’m a life coach/yoga instructor/beauty therapist” (delete as applicable) in response.
But if you reframe the question into “What problems do you solve?” it becomes much easier to think of a heartfelt, original reply.
For example, if you’re an accountant, you could say “I help you pay less tax.” A yoga instructor could reply, “I help you become more bendy!”
The key is to think about the question from the perspective of your customer, rather than yourself. It’s all about outcomes for them; definitely not the inputs from you.
So, try crafting a snappy, one-sentence explanation that tells people how you’ll solve their problem. This will not only help to avoid your business being stereotyped, it’s also likely to start a much more interesting conversation!
Struggling for problem-solving ideas? My book, Five (and a Half) Steps to a Brilliant Brand, will help you create a unique Problem-Solving Statement for your business
A strapline is a short, easy-to-remember phrase that helps people instantly recognise your business.
If you’re a start-up attempting to summarise your business idea the ‘strapline’ is a great place to start.
Here are a few, well known, examples:
Your strapline should encapsulate your brand’s values and personality. Also, it shouldn’t contain any jargon or complicated phrases.
And … only use humour if you KNOW your audience will find it funny.
A good start is to select the very best aspect of your product or service, then think about your ideal customer mood.
For example, my own strapline, ‘Taking Your Business from Passion to Profit’ explains what I do, in a way that (I hope) generates interest and excitement!
An ‘elevator pitch’ is a clear introduction to who you are and what you offer. The idea is that it should be short enough for you to say to someone during a brief ride in a lift (elevator).
Your elevator pitch should be no more than 60 seconds long, and it should encourage people to ask questions… so please don’t attempt to cram everything into it (which is a relief, when you’ve only got a minute!)
I’m not a fan of the ‘pure’ version of the elevator pitch, to be honest.
What I mean by this is the ‘learned-by-rote’ speech that is delivered in every situation – regardless of the audience. You need to have enough flexibility in what you want to say, and enough confidence in your product or service, to make it appropriate to a variety of situations.
Keep in mind, the purpose of your elevator pitch is to build interest and excite your audience. If they hear the same thing over and over again or, the content is not relevant to the situation you find yourself in, it can do more harm than good.
You don’t want to be remembered for the wrong reasons!
Use your explanation to outline the customer benefits of what you do, and include a call to action at the end.
You could encourage people to follow you on social media, visit your website, download a resource or maybe you could suggest a one-to-one coffee catch-up, instead?
It’s well worth spending extra time and effort on describing your business well, and don’t worry if it takes a few tries and tweaks to get it right!
If you’d like to talk through some ideas or road-test your elevator pitch, I’m always happy to listen. All you have to do is schedule a half-hour, complimentary Breakthrough Sessi