by Charlie Cook
©2007 In Mind Communications, LLC, all rights reserved.

How do you explain what you do to prompt a sale?

Last week I got calls from two people at Wall Street financial firms,
who both had the same question. How to explain what they do in
15 seconds or less? Why were these professionals from prominent
firms with large marketing departments looking for a better way to
talk about what they do?

One, I'll call George, had been stockbroker, a profession everyone
knew and thought they understood. You may remember stockbrokers
got a bad name selling stocks on commission as the last market bubble
burst. Now when people ask George what he does, he doesn't want
to say he is a stockbroker, and in fact it no longer applies.

Recently some of the larger investment firms restructured brokers'
jobs, changing both pay structures and responsibilities to provide
more comprehensive financial services. George isn't a stockbroker
anymore and is having a tough time describing all he now does to prospects in a sentence or two.

When you can't describe what you do in a 15 second marketing
statement, it is difficult to spread the word about your services.
Learn how to find the right words to explain exactly how youhelp prospects. With a brilliant small business marketing message you’ll
attract more clients right away. Use the ’15 Second Marketing’ guide
to create more business opportunities.

If you have trouble explaining what you do, take these steps to
develop your marketing message.

1. Identify your target market - Who specifically are your clients?
- Who are the people you'd like to become your clients?

2. Clarify your prospects' problems and concerns. - What are they
worried about? - How are they wasting time and money? - What do
they want?

3. Define the benefit you offer - What do they get from your products
or services?

4. Put the above together into a single sentence. Whether you offer
one type of service or ten, the objective is to use your succinct
marketing message to get the conversation going. Then you can ask questions to clarify your prospect's specific needs and describe the solutions you provide.

Don’t get stuck like George without a way of explaining what you do.
Get your small business marketing message working and see your business grow.

The author, Charlie Cook, helps small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients, whether you are marketing in print, in person or online. Sign up for the Free Marketing eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business', full of practical marketing strategies you can use to increase profits at www.MarketingForSuccess.com