If your answer makes people nod politely and change the subject, you’re leaving money on the table. This article is about networking, but it’s not ONLY about networking, so keep reading.
Networking is about sparking curiosity. AND… the fastest way to kill curiosity is by having a boring, predictable answer to the most predictable question you ever get asked.
When someone asks “what do you do?” most people respond with their title:
“I’m a financial advisor.”
“I run a bakery.”
“I’m a real estate agent.”
“I’m in landscaping.”
Cool. So are 10,000 other people in this city. So why should they care about you?
The Real Problem Isn’t Your Answer – It’s Your Thinking
If you can’t articulate what you do in a way that makes people lean in and say “wait, tell me more,” you haven’t truly clarified your own value in your life or business. That boring answer? It’s not a networking problem. It’s a clarity problem. And clarity problems don’t stay contained to cocktail parties and coffee meetings. Clarity problems affect your life, business, marriage, job, friendships, etc.
How you describe “what you do” mirrors back exactly how you see yourself. And how you see yourself determines everything, your sales approach, your operational decisions, your ability to forecast growth, how you serve customers, and how you lead your team, how you love your husband, how you engage with family, friends, all of it.
Let’s focus on business right now though. Think about it.
If you see yourself as “just a financial advisor,” how bold are you going to be in your sales conversations? How innovative will your service offerings be? How confidently will you price your expertise? How inspiring will you be when coaching your team?
You won’t. Because you’ve already accepted a commodity identity. (your sense of self, built solely on what you provide to the marketplace)
When you introduce yourself like you’re filling out a census form, you’re not just boring the person in front of you, you’re reinforcing a limited self-concept that’s choking your business growth at every level.
The Commodity Trap
Most entrepreneurs fall into what I call the commodity trap without even realizing it. They’ve spent so much time in their industry, surrounded by others doing similar work, that they’ve unconsciously adopted the same language, the same positioning, the same lame ass way of describing what they do.
It’s safe. It’s expected. It doesn’t raise eyebrows.
AND IT DOESN’T MAKE MONEY!!
Truth is, people don’t pay premium prices for commodities. They don’t refer commodities enthusiastically to their friends. They don’t often feel transformed by commodities. Oil, gas, wheat, rice, coffee, etc. People shop for commodities based on convenience and price. (well maybe not coffee – LOL)
Is that really how you want your business to compete?
When you say “I’m a financial advisor,” you’re positioning yourself in a category with thousands of other people. You’re inviting comparison shopping. You’re making yourself forgettable. And worse, you’re thinking about your business in terms that limit your own vision for what’s possible.
The Shift: From Title to Transformation
Instead of leading with your title, lead with the transformation you create.
Instead of “I’m a financial advisor,”
say: “I help money fall from trees!”
Instead of “I run a marketing agency,”
say: “I create celebrity brands!”
Instead of “I run a bakery,”
say: “I make celebrations sweeter!”
See the difference? You went from a job title to an interesting way to communicate the problem you solve. From generic to specific. From forgettable to memorable.
When someone asks you “What do you do?” Your answer should:
- Identify a real problem
- Hint at transformation
- Make them curious about how you do it
- Be specific enough to be memorable
This isn’t just clever wordplay for networking events. This is fundamental business strategy disguised as an introduction.
How This Mirrors Your Self-Perception
Let’s go a little deeper for a minute, because this matters more than you think.
The way you describe your business reveals the way you think about yourself and your business. And the way you think about your business determines every decision you make.
If you see yourself as “a landscaper,” your business decisions will reflect that limited identity. You’ll compete on price. You’ll take jobs you shouldn’t take. You’ll undervalue your expertise. You’ll struggle to articulate why someone should choose you over the guy down the street who charges less.
But if you see yourself as someone who “TRANSFORMS OUTDOOR SPACES INTO PERSONAL SANCTUARIES” suddenly, everything changes. Your sales conversations shift from “here’s my hourly rate” to “here’s the experience I create.” Your operational decisions become more strategic because you’re thinking about client transformation, not just task completion. Your projections become bolder because you’re not constrained by commodity pricing.
This ain’t motivational BS. This is business psychology. (that’s why they call me a business counselor and not just a business consultant)
Your self-perception creates your ceiling. And that ceiling affects everything:
Sales: When you see yourself as a commodity, you sell like a commodity… timid, apologetic, competing on price. When you see yourself as a creator of transformation, you sell with confidence and command premium fees.
Operations: Commodity thinkers optimize for efficiency and cost-cutting. Transformation thinkers optimize for client experience and results.
Forecasting: If you think of yourself as “just another [insert title],” your growth projections will be conservative, limited by what others in your industry typically achieve. If you think of yourself as creating unique value, your projections become expansive.
Service: Commodity businesses handle transactions. Transformation businesses create experiences. Guess which one gets referrals and repeat business?
People Management: When you lead from a commodity identity, you manage tasks. When you lead from a transformation identity, you inspire vision. Your team feels the difference, and it shows up in their performance.
The Mirror You’re Avoiding
Let’s take it down one more level. Cuz this isn’t just about business strategy, it’s about who you’ve decided YOU are.
When you introduce yourself with a boring job title, you’re not just describing what you do. You’re revealing the limitations you’ve accepted about your own potential. You’ve reduced yourself to a category, a checkbox, a role that thousands of other people occupy.
If that’s how you see yourself in a networking conversation, that’s how you see yourself when you’re alone at 2 AM wondering why your business hasn’t broken through to the next level.
The small way you introduce yourself is a symptom of the small way you’ve been thinking about your life. It’s not just your business that’s stuck in commodity thinking, you are.
Think about the best version of yourself, the one who takes bold risks, who innovates, who leads with confidence, who doesn’t apologize for being exceptional. Does that version of you mumble “I’m a financial advisor” and hope someone asks a follow-up question? Fuck nahhh!!!
That version of you owns the transformation you create and talks about it like it matters, because it does. The gap between how you currently introduce yourself and how the best version of you would introduce yourself? That’s the gap between where currently you are and where your calling is. And until you close that gap in how you talk to yourself, about yourself, you’ll won’t be able to close the gap in how you show up in your business, your relationships, or your life.
Your introduction isn’t just words. It’s a declaration of the value you bring. (not your value as a person in the space that all people have value) But, it’s you telling the world, and more importantly, telling yourself, whether you believe you are ordinary or extraordinary.
Whether you’re playing it safe or playing to win.
Whether you’re okay with being forgettable or whether you demand to be remembered.
So when you can’t articulate your value in a compelling way, you’re not just hurting your networking results. You’re reinforcing a self-concept that keeps you smaller than you were meant to be. And that’s the real cost… the version of yourself you’re refusing to be.
Okay back on track…
But Won’t I Sound Salesy?
Here’s where people get stuck. They resist creating a compelling answer because they don’t want to sound “salesy” or “over the top.”
Shut that shit up! That fear is costing you money and limiting your impact.
First, there’s a massive difference between being salesy and being clear. Salesy is pushy, manipulative, dishonest. Clear is compelling, honest, and confident. “I help money fall from trees” isn’t salesy, it’s intriguing. It’s an invitation to a conversation, not a sales pitch.
Second, who told you that being interesting and memorable was a bad thing? You’ve been conditioned by a culture that values politeness over impact, blending in over standing out. We’re not allowed to hurt anyone’s feelings and make anyone else uncomfortable. That conditioning serves mediocrity, not excellence.
Third, and this is the part that matters most, if you can’t talk about the transformation you create with confidence and clarity, it’s probably because you aren’t creating much transformation at all. The hesitation to make a bold statement about your work often reveals uncertainty about the actual value in the work you’re doing.
Get clear on the real impact you have. Then talk about it without apology!
The people who matter, the people who could become your best clients, your most valuable connections, your biggest advocates, they’re not looking for vanilla. They’re looking for somebody who knows exactly what they bring to the table and can articulate it with confidence.
The Ripple Effect
When you shift how you introduce yourself, something awesome happens. It’s not just that you have better networking conversations (even though you will). You actually begin to embody this new way of seeing your business.
You start writing copy that actually resonates instead of sounding like every other site in your industry.
You have sales conversations that focus on transformation instead of transactions.
You make operational decisions based on “what would create the best client experience” instead of “what’s the cheapest way to get this done.”
You forecast growth based on the unique value you create, not industry averages.
You serve customers with intention, knowing you’re not just delivering a service but creating an outcome they care deeply about.
You lead your team with vision, helping them see themselves as transformation creators, not task rabbits.
The way you answer “what do you do?” becomes the lens through which you see and run your entire business.
Stop Checking Boxes, Start Opening Doors
You didn’t start this life, get that degree, build this business, or invest all that money to be forgettable. You didn’t pour in years of your life, take risks, and push through obstacles just to introduce yourself like you’re filling out a form.
Your business solves real problems for real people. It creates transformation, even if you haven’t been thinking about it in those terms. You have value that goes way beyond your job title.
So stop introducing yourself like you’re one of ten thousand identical options.
Start introducing yourself like you’re opening a door to a conversation worth having.
Because when you change how you talk about your business, you change how you think about your business. And when you change how you think about your business, you change what’s possible for your business.
So NOW… what’s your answer?
Not your title. Not your category. Not the safe, boring, forgettable response you’ve been giving for years.
What transformation do you create? What problem do you solve? What makes someone’s life better because you exist?
Figure it out.
Say it out loud.
Practice it until it feels natural.
Then watch what happens.
Your business and your bank account will thank you.
all the things…
– Stefan