For IMers - Turning the question, "What do you do?" into customers.

Hello everyone,

I wanted to put up a post about something I learned this weekend after endless doctor appointments, parties, bonfires and a Farmville-style wedding.

Invariably at each of these functions, the question comes up…

“So what do you do, John?”

I know we have gone over this subject ad nauseum, but I really learned something new and important to IMers.

Before Internet Marketing I would most easily say what my function was but not what I really “did”.

Most people were simply happy with “business analyst”, “business consultant”, “rental agency business owner”, whatever and the conversation changes as fast as it started as none of them know what the heck a ‘business analyst’ is, let alone does.

I usually tell them it has to do with computers then – they still think I go to people’s homes and fix their computers. Explaining that I automate business functions in order to save a company millions and their eyes glass over.

Even since IM, I still have not told many I do marketing online as it stops the conversation cold and I get weird looks.

So I tried something new (just like a true marketer would).

So all weekend, when asked, what do you do, I would sit down, give them a very serious look and say, “Well my title in something called Internet Marketer, but what I ‘do’ is help people sell things online.”

Wow, was I surprised about the responses and just how important it was to say what I said. The second sentence has changed my business.

The first person I did this to was my eye doctor. And here is the important lesson. When I told him I helped people sell online, he would not stop talking about it. He had something he wanted to sell and obviously knew he needed to sell it online. Not only that, he had something he wanted to buy. That one sentence opened up the line for me to make the finder’s fee on him selling a house and buying an unrelated business.

The next one was a Landlord. He was more interested in the fact I sold things online than that I rented so many houses in my life. Why? He had something to sell. A van he was trying to get rid of and he also was looking for someone else to be part of his team. This will again turn into a finder’s fee from agents I know looking for clients.

Third person was a farmer/businessperson. He had this incredible serious look when I told him I sold things for people online. He told me he provides a certain tractor tire to local farmers and had no idea how to reach them. He didn’t even know how to turn on a computer but people were asking him where he was online. Bonus! Another offline customer.

I found it very strange that after 10 or so of these conversations, none of them were interested in the marketing aspect or information products aspect, all they knew is they had something to sell or buy online and needed help.

That is the core of what we do. Help people sell things online (whether it be yourself or a client). They don’t REALLY want to know what we do but it is a very fast change to gaining a customer by REALLY telling them what we do.

More importantly you are telling them how you can help them in the same sentence.

I’ll make more money this weekend with those two sentences than 2 months of slaving on this computer. Remember I was not looking for one piece of business and was just finally enjoying life and meeting people.

So if someone asks you what you do, try telling them very seriously, “Well my title in something called Internet Marketer, but what I ‘do’ is help people sell things online.”

I would really like to hear about the conversations and clients that come up because of this.