What do you do? seems like an easy enough question, but it’s often tricky … especially when you need the short, pithy version. It’s hard to sum it up in the mini bio for your website or your introduction in a group.
You need words that describe what you do and who you work with. You want words that resonate with your ideal clients, feel good to you, and are searchable. Those things don’t always intersect.
Many of us feel uncomfortable talking about ourselves. I’m raising my hand here too. It’s far easier for me to help a client find words than it is to define my own work.
Finding these words can feel especially daunting if you’ve grown, pivoted, or redefined your niche. It’s also one of my sweet spots for helping clients.
What gets in the way of your words
Frequently, clients come to me when they need new words for their website. Here’s what’s often slowing them down:
- Decisions they need to make — what they can do vs. what they want to do or what they have done vs. what they want to do now
- Fear of naming their ideal clients because they don’t want to exclude people or because they “could” work with anybody … I always tell them that write for the people you most want to attract and outliers who are a good fit will find you
- The old version of themselves — this looks like holding on to old offers or language, even if it doesn’t fit now; explaining what they aren’t doing instead of leading with what they are doing; tentativeness over using a label they haven’t used before
- Not seeing connections between different offers or a throughline from their old work to the new
For example, I had a Clarity Call with Kara who was thinking about a new web site and getting a pitch ready for a conference she was attending. Things were still feeling fuzzy, but within an hour, we identified the heart of her emerging work and what mattered most to her. She left with deeper clarity about what she does and ideas for reflecting that in her messaging.
Stacy also came to me when she was ready to update her website. Her offerings had changed. She had two audiences. And her website didn’t reflect what she was doing now or wanted to be doing more of. In our deep conversations as part of her Supported Business Writing Retreat, I kept hearing the word trust. When I observed this to Stacy, I saw her light up and relax, because this was the missing piece for her. The thing that tied all of her work together. We found the core of her business, and that brought more confidence in talking about her work as a whole.
Once we start answering the questions or clearing the sticking points, the words often flow more quickly and easily.
How to Talk About What You Do
Some questions to get you started:
- What’s the title that feels the most you? What would most people call you?
- How would you answer the question “what do you do?” if you had as much time and space as you need?
- Who do you most like working with? How do you help them?
- Think about the follow up questions you get when you introduce yourself and what you do. What do people wonder about? How do you respond?
- What are the results of working with you? What are the deliverables?
Or try these prompts:
- People come to me when …
- I help when …
- I help people … what that really looks like is …
- Here’s what a session / project might look like …
If you’re looking for new ways of talking about what you do, I encourage you to journal on these questions. Then try introducing yourself in a new way in a networking group of mastermind. Try new language on your website or LinkedIn or signature line in your email. It’s not carved in stone. Put it up and see how it feels. Tweak as needed.
You Don’t Have to Figure It Out Alone
It can be hard to find your answers on your own. Having a thought partner to ask good questions that make you dig deeper and to reflect back what they hear from you can help a lot.
What about AI? I have clients who use AI, and also deeply value talking with a human.
Where I find AI falls flat is in digging out the half formed idea or noticing your energy. It’s less likely to question an offer that makes a lot of sense on paper — even if your body language and tone say, “I don’t want to do this.” It’s unlikely to see you light up, when the work that taps into your skills and values and interests is on the table.
And it wants to please you and do the work for you. The But the process of thinking it out and putting what you do into words is the work that gets you the clarity that lets you talk with enthusiasm about what you do in a way that gets other people curious and engaged.
I help clients do this work all the time. I have four ways of helping depending on time and budget and how much support you want.
- Co-writing & Office Hours
Working on your About page (or a blog or newsletter)? Stuck finding the words or wondering if what you are saying connects to what you do? Have the words but not hitting send or publish? A ten minute conversation can clear things up so you can get back to writing. And the co-writing part of this offer means you have time with company to turn off distractions and do the work. - Clarity Calls
We don’t get all the words done, but we often get some key language to get your start and, more importantly, get to the core of things so that you can find your words or your next step forward with more ease. - Supported Business Writing Retreat
This is where we do the deep work and have time to dig into the language too. This is perfect for a project like a website refresh. - Thought Partner & Content Collaborator
Ideas and words evolve and people are often creating things again and again — a weekly newsletter, monthly blog, new opt-ins, course materials. It can be lonely and exhausting as a solopreneur doing it all on your own. Having a sounding board or second brain, plus writing support keeps you thriving.
In all cases, I bring deep listening, good questions, a fresh perspective, and decades of experience helping people craft the right words and explain things succinctly.
Not sure what kind of support you need, but ready to let in help, set up a call with me here, and we can figure it out.