What is the aspirational identity of your customer, and how can it help you to make a sale?
“So, what do you do?”
What do you say when someone asks you this question? Do you have a simple and clear statement explaining what it is you do?
Does it make the listener want to lean-in wanting to hear more?
It can be difficult to find the words to explain what you do in a clear and simple way. When you struggle to find the right words, it can make you frustrated and feel like you don’t really know what you’re doing.
Sound familiar? If yes, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many small business owners struggle to share what they do.
Here are some reasons why it might be difficult to explain your business to someone else.
- What you offer is extremely technical, and the average person just won’t understand.
- What you offer is complex and hard to describe.
- You provide a wide range of products that meet different needs.
- Your customer base is so varied; it’s hard to narrow down what you do to just “one thing.”
So how do you explain what you do in a simple and clear way?
No matter what you offer or how you do it, every element of your business is connected to your customers. The key to simplifying what you do is to first identify your customers’ “Aspirational Identity.”
What is an Aspirational Identity?
To know your customer’s aspirational identity means to know who your customer ultimately wants to become, or wants to be known as the type of person that [fill in the blank] as it relates to your brand.
Working with businesses as a Certified Storybrand Guide, I have found that most businesses struggle saying what they do because their message focuses on themselves and not their customers.
When asked what they do, their first response is usually to talk about the product or service they offer. But if you ask a different person from the same team, you’ll get a different answer every time. That’s because each person is making themselves or the product or service they offer sound like the hero of the story.
One of the key principles of the Storybrand Marketing Framework is that “You are not the hero of the story.”
To fix this problem, the next time you’re asked, “So, what do you do?” Don’t think about what you do, think about why you do it, and how you help your customer.
Don’t talk about what you do, talk about why you do it. Although what you do is important, the “why” is the common bond that connects the pieces of you marketing message together and creates a common bond.
For example, think of a NASCAR pit crew. On multiple occasions, I’ve had the opportunity to be on pit row during a NASCAR race, and have seen how each member of the pit crew works to do their one specific job, to the best of their ability, and just as fast as humanly possible. If you were to ask any member of the pit crew what they do, they would probably describe the role they fill on their team. “I’m a driver’s side wheelman,” or “I fill the tank.” But in reality, regardless of their role, the pit crew as a whole works towards the teams’ Aspirational Identity of winning the race. Ultimately they want to be known as winners.
For each team member of the pit crew, regardless of the job they perform, the ultimate goal is universal.
It’s the same for your company.
Regardless of what you do, your customer has one aspirational identity. Identify this identity, and you can simplify saying what you do.
For me here at StoryWorks, when asked what I do, I say – “Most small business owners struggle knowing what to say when asked what they do. Using a proven marketing framework, I help them find the words to say that will resonate with their customers. So they can be seen as the savvy business leader they are.”
If you struggle knowing what to say when talking about your business, I’d love to speak with you and help. Schedule A Call and let’s talk!
