What Do You Do?

By Natalie Wi

Normally a taboo question in our day-to-day encounters, asking someone “What do you do?” at an industry event is completely acceptable. But this article isn't about asking someone else; it's about being prepared to have the question aimed at you. This is your chance to convince someone else why they should hire you or refer a client to you and, in several instances, you'll only have about 30 seconds to effectively deliver your proposition.

This 30-second pitch is formally known as your Value Proposition, or:

A set of promises, based on the capabilities and credibility of the offering party, that helps prospective customers understand how an offering uniquely addresses specific problems, opportunities and challenges.*

Begin work on your value proposition by conducting a series of interviews. Interview your customers, your suppliers and your competition. Ask your customers why they buy from you, your suppliers why they refer to you, and your competition why their customers buy from them.** Interview yourself and research your target market.

Create a chart of the information you gather, and clear patterns will begin to emerge (see chart below).

Create a series of variations of your value proposition, including a longer, more involved description and a shorter, concise pitch. Your value proposition will be at the heart of all of your marketing endeavors, so spend some time evaluating it. When it comes time to use it effectively, you won't be stumbling for words.

*Jose Palomino's definition of a value proposition in his book “Value Prop.”

**As a side note, you may or may not hear back from your competition, but you can approach it as an opportunity to build an alliance or unified front.

Name: Natalie Napoleon Wi

Company: Allure West Studios

Address: 100 Mechanics St.

Doylestown, PA 18901 USA

Phone: 267/247-5858

E-mail: natalie@allurewest.com

Website: www.allurewest.com

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