What do people think you do?

What do people think that you do for work?

How do people think that you help others? What do they understand about the services that you provide, or the skills that you have to offer?

It’s an interesting question, and one that professionals and business owners don’t think about nearly enough.

The truth is that we (usually) know what we do for work. We understand how we help people. We get our business, and then we wonder why people aren’t bursting down our door.

The reason is simple: they’re not in our heads!

A real world example

In my past life I was an employment lawyer. I helped employers and employees with their legal issues.

Fine, good, but what does that actually mean?

My colleagues in the employment law world knew what I did for work intimately well. My friends in the world of HR usually had at least some notion.

After that, it started to get foggy. Even when I spoke to friends in other areas of law, they had misguided notions that employment law was incredibly simple and straightforward, and that anyone could tackle it.

Beyond that, though, people don’t know what an employment lawyer does just by default!

Even if I only had a 30 second pitch, I would take those valuable seconds to explain that “yes, I’m the guy you call when you get fired, but I’m also the guy that you call when you need a new contract reviewed, when you need an employment contract written, when you’re having a problem in the workplace, etc.”

There’s a reason that worked well – it’s sticky, and it’s memorable.

People didn’t just know me by a job title; they now had a clearer sense of when they, or someone they knew in that position, needed to call me.

Don’t leave anyone guessing as to what you do

We’ve grown up in a generation of cute and catchy marketing. We remember mascots, and brand slogans, and we think that we all need them in our own businesses.

They’re helpful, but not when they actually obscure what you do!

This applies to products, services, or practically any sort of business – if someone does not know when to go out and buy what you’re selling (or buy it online), or when and why to call you, then you’ve got a problem on your hands.

We think that we need to be cute in how we present ourselves, but that does not mean that we need to be coy, or opaque.

Don’t leave anyone guessing as to when they might need your services – when they do need someone like you, you won’t be anywhere close to top of mind.

What makes you stand out?

Even if people are familiar with your job description, the way that you tell your story is what illustrates how you stand out from the pack.

What about positions that are commonly misunderstood, or careers that people think they know a lot about, but actually don’t?

What if you do something different from your counterparts, or have a particular specialty or niche that you focus on where they do not?

You’re a real estate agent, but you’re not just any real estate agent – you focus specifically with seniors looking to downsize, and you’re committed to helping them find the next solution that’s right for them.

You’re a chiropractor, but not just any chiropractor. You don’t do any manual adjustment, but work with other therapies primarily that people may not be familiar with.

You may have a SaaS company, but what about the people who don’t know what SaaS (software as a service) is? What if they quickly become your ideal customer, or are closely connected with your ideal customer? Do they understand your product and when and why they might need it?

Final Thoughts

Remember, people don’t know what you do unless you tell them.

People don’t remember what you do unless you tell them over and over again.

But most importantly, people won’t understand what you do unless you show them.

If you leave it for them to guess, and they’re ultimately guessing wrong, you’ve probably missed your chance.

Instead, use stories and storytelling to illustrate what you actually do in ways that people can understand and relate to.

Need a professional to help you get there? That’s what I do. Let’s talk.

Learn more about my services or reach out directly to set up a call.