Previously I shared a key story in identifying my calling and the start of my entrepreneur’s journey. It was sparked by one of the books we rapped at Book Rapper called Power Stories by Valerie Khoo.

Your Everyday Business Story

Today, I want to share a fundamental story that we all tell whenever we meet someone for the first. It’s based on two basic questions:

1. Who are you?
2. What do you do?

To be prepared for your next face-to-face networking event, chance encounter in an elevator or for your social media profiles, create some answers to these basic questions.

[Tweet “Two steps to telling your business story #story #elevatorpitch”]

Part 1: Set the scene

The first part of your business story is to set the scene and capture your listeners’ attention. It has three essential parts:

1. My name is…
2. I run… (business type) or I am… (an expert in)
3. I help… (the kind of people your serve).

For example, I might say: My name is Geoff McDonald, I help businesses grow by keeping them up to date with the big ideas that are disrupting their industry.

QUESTION: What would you say? My name is… I run… I help…

Part 2: Tell me more…

If you’ve done your job well in the setting the scene you’ll have sparked some interest that typically leads to one of these two questions:

1. Tell me more…
2. How do you do that?

This is your chance to say a little more. I’ll repeat that… a little more. Aim for about 30 seconds and focus on how you help people. A lightning fast case study works well.

For instance, I might say: I rewrite important business books so we can discuss them in a two-hour innovation session. In the first hour we discuss the book. And, in the second hour we discuss how to apply the big ideas to their business.

QUESTION: What’s your lightning fast case study for establishing your expertise and positioning your service?

COMMENT: Work through this exercise and share your examples in the comments below.