Offering more than what you have to offer

by Byron Woodson II

When you go to networking events, many networking conversations start like "I have this to offer" and "I can do this". This type of introduction is par for the course, we simply tell everyone what we can do.

In marketing circles, they found that this is not enough. What you want to start doing is saying not only what you have to offer, but also what you want to get accomplished, and what problems you want to solve. We need to start introducing ourselves in ways like "I want to accomplish X" or "I solve these kinds of problems."

Who would you rather have as your accountant:

A who says: "I am an accountant"

or

B who says: "I make it easier for people to do what they have to by managing their accounting in business and personal life."

I'll bet you would want to talk to B, and use their services. By offering not only what you have to offer, but to also fit what you have to offer as satisfying some need or solving some problem, the person you are introducing yourself to is much more likely to find your services at least interesting, if not wanted and needed.

By presenting what you can do as solving a problem of theirs or the people they know, you more than meet them half way. They don't have to do the intellectual leg-work to find out whether your services are useful to them. You've just told them that whatever you do, helps them do what's important. And that's always important.

When you say something like "I'm am X" or "I can do Y", they have to think to themselves whether they need an accountant. Make it easier for them.

But when you say something like "I make it easier for people to do what's important to them by doing Z for them" then they are more likely to think of Z (whatever you do) as getting in the way of doing what's important to them. Of course they'll need your help to solve that problem!