It’s easy to assume that people really know what we do. Trust me, they probably do not. This includes internal colleagues, especially those at the C-level (even if you, too, are senior)!
In your work environment, even if a professional colleague has watched you in action, they may not really know: 1. what you are best at; 2. your full range of top talents; 3. what you want to do. That colleague may, in fact, literally say out loud “what is it that you DO, exactly?” even though they have worked with you for years.
That’s the scoop for people that DO work with you. Now, how about those people that do NOT work with with directly? This year, I’ve encountered a few external misunderstandings of me and my firm:
1. A new friend. My new friend Dana left me a playful voicemail that said: “Hey, I’d like to hire Scarlett Consulting to design a new green home for me.” Now, first of all, I have not been an interior designer for 18 years. Second, I never designed residential, and my current business involves consulting to commercial B-to-B architects/engineers/construction firms. Third, it’s true that I am a LEED accredited professional. But I earned those credentials so that I could better advise my clients that are interested in selling/marketing their sustainable services. Yet, by skimming my business card or website very quickly, this is what my new friend gleaned from my ‘message/brand’. YIKES!
2. A conference attendee. I spoke at a session in May for a 100-person group of professional commercial architects in Chicago. One of the attendees contacted me recently, asking if I would provide a fee proposal to “do public and media relations for his firm”. Specifically, he wanted me to use existing media relationships to promote his special service. Somehow, after listening to my presentation for 90 minutes, he did not grasp the fact that Scarlett Consulting provide business development/marketing advisory services, but pitching articles/content to the media on behalf of clients would not be directly related to my expertise. That’s public relations (which arguably, is related to what I do and advise upon!)
3. A referral from my outlying network. I received an email from someone that wanted me to provide a fee quote to design a four color brochure for his residential kitchen & bath company. Clearly, the person that referred me was unsure of my areas of expertise. In that case, I’d be delighted to work with him on strategy related to his promotional piece –its message and how it would fit into his bigger marketing efforts. I’d even write the content for him; no problem. But I would not be the right person to do the graphic layout, working with the printer on execution, etc.
So what does this all mean? Well, all three of them were in the ballpark (albeit, kinda far fetched). #2, the conference attendee, might have just thought I was an expert in ALL areas of business development and marketing, so he was absolutely right to at least ask me about the public relations opportunity. I was able to refer him to industry colleagues and I believe he is working with one of them now! #3 means that I do not do a good enough job explaining to people in my distant network as to what I do.
Here are my (and perhaps your?!) next steps:
1. Review my website language to ensure my offerings are crystal clear . Also check sites such as Linked In etc to see if there are opportunities for clarity.
2. Reconsider my tagline/business card to make sure my offerings are crystal clear.
3. Modify my elevator pitch(es).
4. Or, as a business colleague suggested, just don’t sweat it; know that as long as people like you and want to do business with you, they’ll at least ask. Maybe they’ll misunderstand, but at least they’ll start the conversation and I can always point them in the right direction if needed.
#4 is tricky, though, because I really want to be top of mind when it comes to providing business development and marketing advisory services to architects/engineers/construction firms to help them grow their business. For the record, here is my one sentence description: I help architects/engineers/construction firms to grow their businesses by providing sales and marketing advisory services.
Now think: what steps must you take to clarify what you do (both inside and outside of your firm)? Comments are welcome (public or direct) as always.
