How To Getwork From Your Network

I was invited to attend a retirement party recently for a well respected CFO of a major hospital and, as you would expect, I was introduced to a lot of people. After the obligatory "hi, how are you?" the inevitable question is "so...what do you do?"

Most people are missing a golden opportunity in the way they answer that question. The typical response is something like "I'm the ‘such and such' at XYZ Company." Or "I work for ABC and Associates." What does that REALLY tell me? It tells me their title and the name of their company, but it doesn't really tell me what they DO. And it certainly doesn't tell me what they might be able to DO for me.

Let's say for example that ABC and associates specializes in estate planning and I've been thinking lately that I really should get my will and estate in order just in case something happens to me. What if XYZ Company provides custom printing and graphics and I happen to know that my company has been looking for a new vendor for those services? Will I make the connection? Will I even realize that I'm talking to someone who could help me satisfy a need?

My point is, that if I just answer with, "I work for The Brooks Group" I will probably get a blank stare followed by a polite excuse to go meet someone who has something more exciting to talk about.

So instead I hit them with "I work with executives in organizations that have sales and sales management staffs to recruit, hire and retain top performers. We use a proprietary method to help our clients find and coach superstar performers who make an impact in their organization."

I left that party with two business cards from executives who asked me to call them because they "need some help" in what I do. If just one of these two cards turn into a new client and subsequently a preferred client, then an advocate for me, then refers me to another client ... well, you get the picture.

How many times has someone asked you "so, what do you do?" How do you answer them?