By Larry Galler

Like most businesspeople, I attend a number of trade shows, expos, seminars, open houses, service club and Chamber of Commerce events every year.  These events are an opportunity to learn, to socialize, and to meet new people while balancing a plate of cheese cubes, carrot sticks, and meatballs.  While I have become coordinated enough to shake hands without having my snacks slide off my plate, I have yet to overcome my amazement of the lame introductory comments of most people I meet.  Most of them sound as if they (and the services or products they sell) are commodities and therefore no reason why a prospect should select one over another.

This is what I hear:  “I’m an accountant.”  “I’m a real estate agent.”  “I’m a mortgage broker.”  “I’m a hairdresser.”  “I’m a banker.”  “I’m a manufacturer.”  “I’m a financial planner.”  “I’m a web designer.”  Those dull, generic, answers tell me what their job titles are, not what they do, not what problems they solve, not why anyone should seek them out, not the differentiators that separates them from their competitors. 

Clearly every person I meet is unique.  Each has reasons for working at the professions they have selected.  They have passions, levels of expertise, specialties, and reasons for being at the event we have both attended, but they rarely, if ever, communicate their uniqueness.

If part of the reason one attends those outside functions is to meet people who might be new prospective customers, these people should consider developing a very short answer to the opening question, “what do you do for a living?”  That answer should be designed to immediately engage the questioner in further, deeper conversation. 

Imagine this response to the question:  “What do you do for a living?”  “I’m a real estate agent.”  “Oh.”  Compare it to this:  “I help people sell their homes for a higher sales price and in less time.”  “How do you do that?”

When the “How do you do that?” question comes out, you can elaborate on your uniqueness qualities.  Next time you meet someone new, don’t be stuck for an answer and mumble generically, have your “engaging” answer ready so you can elaborate.

Perhaps try something like this “I help create healthier buildings that reduce impacts on the environment at the same time.”

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Larry Galler has been an owner of three small businesses selling to local, regional, and national markets. Since 1993 he has been coaching and consulting high performance executives, professionals, salespeople, and owners of small businesses to develop sales programs and marketing material. He speaks frequently to business groups and has written a weekly newspaper column since 2001. To increase the velocity of your business success, contact Larry for a free coaching session larry@larrygaller. Sign up for his newsletter at www.larrygaller.com