As a business person, when out networking or socialising the inevitable question, “so what do you do?” always comes up. Sounding reasonably coherent and not waffling on can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. It also takes a bit of practice to be able to speak a short, succinct sentence. However, being able to explain what you do and how you help your target audience – in a single statement is very grounding. Not only from a face-to-face communication point of view but it can be a very clear base from which to build and communicate your brand further.
In last week’s blog, I asked you to delve deep into determining your personal brand by looking at the Johari Window. Let’s expand on that and clearly define who you are and what you do.
What does your small business brand or personal brand stand for?
- YOU. Describe everything you can about your personal or business brand plus your personal brand attributes and passions. Take all those adjectives and put them into a list titled – you.
- DO. Write down your skills and talents that you use in your role. Your action or verb words such as organise, negotiate, counsel, communicate, increase and write these words under the heading of – do. We’ll call these two sets our input words.
- THEM. Now look at how those elements have an impact on or help your target audience to achieve their needs. This set of words is our outputs. We’ll put under the heading of – them. You also need to have a clear understanding of who they (your target) really are.
Start to condense these words down into a single sentence. You might have lots of similar sounding words so a Thesaurus may come in handy. Choose words that really resonate with you or perhaps you’d like to build on. Not false words or unauthentic words. We’re after a statement that really is the summary of you and what you do.
(Who) John/Jane Smith & Co is a…. (What you do) who helps …. (Them...target market) with … (what is the issue or problem I help with) ….to achieve (the final outcome).
This is an example of how I would use the above formula.
Sue Currie is a leading light, inspiring, professional (adjectives that have been used to describe me) who uses her bright, energy (more adjectives) to transform and reinvigorate (do words) business leaders and entrepreneurs (them) to develop a stand out personal and professional brand. (the outcome for them)
Now that is a very long-winded sentence so to condense it down I would say:
Sue Currie helps and inspires business leaders and entrepreneurs to create a brand that has impact and influence, so they shine.
If I was out networking I might say, “I’m Sue Currie, the founder of Shine Academy, we help business leaders develop an impactful brand.”
The tag line on my business card is … Inspiring you to shine.
What you’re after is a clear brand statement that communicates what you in your business or career stand for and what you are bringing to world.
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Read last week’s blog What are Others Saying About You Behind Your Back?
Sue Currie is a personal branding specialist providing solutions to business owners and organisations to boost their image, renown, brand and business. She is the founder of Shine Academy™, providing education and professional development training and Shine Agency™ a firm providing personal branding and public relations services to help businesses and entrepreneurs position and present an impactful professional brand. Through speaking, corporate workshops, and consulting, Sue helps businesses and individuals to stand out and shine.
