What do you do for a living? – Beyond the job title

by on October 10, 2010

What do you do for a living? Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis

If you’re thinking, well duh, I’m a ­­_______ (fill in the blank), let’s go beyond the job title. Let’s take on the challenge presented by Naomi Dunford over at IttyBiz and answer the following questions to dig deeper into what we do. Have a look at my answers, and then get your own wheels churning.

The truth behind my business

What’s your game? What do you do?

I am a marketing consultant. My passion is helping small businesses that are struggling with their online communications. Whether they don’t have a web presence at all, or they do, but it’s doing nothing for them.

Why do you do it? Do you love it, or do you just have one of those creepy knacks?

I definitely have a creepy knack for writing. I think anyone who has done a History major does. So, marketing communications is a good fit for me. But mostly I do it cause I LOVE helping out small business owners rock the online world, take on the big boys, all without the massive budgets needed for traditional marketing.

Who are your customers? What kind of people would need or want what you offer?

Pretty much anyone who runs a business. And needs help with marketing. And doesn’t know what to do next (or where to start). And knows that online stuff is cool, but doesn’t have a clue what will work for them. Or a marketing manager in a medium sized biz who needs additional womanpower/expertise outside of own marketing crew.

What’s your marketing USP? Why should I buy from you instead of the other losers? (Naomi’s words :))

Because I know what I’m doing, I love what I’m doing, I care about doing it well and I’m not afraid of doing things differently from the “norm”. Plus, I’m super easy to work with, flexible, and obsessed with finding solutions that help business owners move ahead. Even if your budget is small, I’m all over helping you figure out the best way to use it.

What’s next for you? What’s the big plan?

I want to create resources and e-books that can help new entrepreneurs that can’t afford to hire my services, but still want to do great things online. I was a teacher before I was a marketer, and teaching people new skills really gets me going. So I think that this a natural progression.

Your turn

The point of this post is not self-promotion. I’m trying to prove a point here. Everyone, including small business owners, should think on these questions. The answers I shared above are so much more interesting than just saying “I’m a marketing consultant”. And you too have your own story to tell. So go ahead, and take a few minutes (or however long you need) to answer them.

And if you are finding this hard, you are not alone.  It’s perfectly normal to not be 100% sure of your answers. But that’s OK. You don’t have to make all your decisions right now and lock them in. You can and should always evolve. Even just thinking on these things will lead you in the right direction.

But my business is so easy to understand

Now I know that for some businesses/professions, what you do is super clear. But answering the above questions is still an important exercise. Why?

Because you’re not just a yoga teacher. Or just a butcher. Or just a landscaper. There is greater purpose behind what you do. There are reasons you chose your business. And that’s where the interesting stuff is… Job titles are a yawn.

So, tell the world! Communicate!  By bringing your answers into your business, you are sharing this passion, this motivation, this goal, and suddenly you are so much more intriguing, credible, lovable. So go ahead and put these ideas on your website, in your next brochure, in your elevator speech.

The, “so, what do you do for a living?” question becomes much more meaningful. Answer it clearly in all your marketing communications. And let the engagement begin!

If your biz has a blog, take on Naomi’s challenge and write a post about your answers. If you don’t blog, share in the comments. (And if you think you might like to blog, or learn more about how you can share your answers with your customers, your online communications gal is ready and waiting!)

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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Marla Levie October 12, 2010 at 8:59 am

Great post and so true! I love your definition of USP. Your personality and “passion” shine though!
Marla Levie, President
Focus on Aging
http://www.focusonaging.com

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Martina October 12, 2010 at 9:55 am

Thanks for your comment Marla! So glad you enjoyed the post 🙂

Martina

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