23. 😎How to Inspire Confidence in Others When Telling People What You Do

Midweek Momentum Newsletter: how vision and mission can more than double your annual growth

How to Inspire Confidence

When Talking About What You Do


When you attend a networking event you're fully aware that a breakthrough for your business could be just one conversation away. As Lady Gaga famously teaches us, all it takes is connecting with that one person who believes in you, and your business and life could be on a whole new trajectory.


We all know the importance of making a winning first impression. The Association for Psychological Science in a study of first impressions notes that when you begin to speak, both what you say and how you say it significantly impacts your conversation partner's interpretation of you.


That can feel like a heap-load of pressure when you are at a networking event and responding to the million-dollar question, “What do you do?”. Of course, you know what you do. So why when asked about your work do you feel like you've said too much, or not enough.


Like that time you found yourself scrambling for words to capture the power of your work without sounding too simplistic. Or that time you found yourself using excessive business jargon and waxing poetic about your passion only to look up and notice your conversation partner's eyes glazing over.


We've been there so in this issue we want to share 3 ways to introduce yourself in a way that inspires confidence and trust by:


  • Tapping into energetics that attract (versus repel)
  • Sharing what you do in a way that leaves them wanting more
  • Using a formula to make clear what business they can send your way

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3 Ways to Inspire More Confidence

When Talking About What You Do


Answering the question, “What do you do?” is not, (curiously) the time to share in-depth about what you do. Very much like the question "How are you today?", the question “What do you do?” is often used as a friendly greeting requiring only the briefest response.


When talking about what you do, you will inspire more confidence when you share little bits of your message at a time. Sharing your message in bits, lets people into your world more subtly, in a way that feels more respectful and caring.


We'll share more about how in a moment, but first, we must address mindset, or what we like to call, the energetics of success!

#1. Tap Into Energetics That Attract (Versus Repel)

The first step is to pay attention to your internal dialogue and the vibe your thoughts are giving off. Approaching a new connection and wondering "Will this person open doors for me?" or "Will this person hire me?" puts way too much pressure on the exchange. In the energetic field, when you focus on what you will 'get' you are actually sending out invisible 'thought-vibrations' that push people away.


Instead, approach them with the energetics of neutrality, without any expectation of a specific outcome from the conversation. To take it to the next level you can think about how you can brighten their day. What you can learn about them beyond the obvious. How might you show interest in them, make them feel special, or make them smile. Approaching a new connection with a goal to make them feel great - as long as you are being genuine in your intentions -- sends off a pretty cool vibe.


For example, our Founder & CEO, Jill mentioned when walking her dogs she has a goal of getting beyond the usual "What is your dog's name?" or "How old is your dog?" questions, instead challenging herself to learn something fascinating about the other dog walkers! Doing so, she reports, leads to many joyful connections! (Just yesterday she learned there is a Bumble app for dogs!)


For more insights into the role of business energetics, check out our previous issue, 7 Energetic Errors in Self Promotion.

#2. Share what you do in snippits to leave people wanting more

As we alluded to above, when introducing yourself at a networking event and meeting someone for the first time, don't overshare when asked a social courtesy question such as "What do you do?". Instead, get into a neutral frame of mind, answer the question as quickly as you can (probably with your title).


For example, in Jill's case, the answer would be " I am the Founder of an IP marketing and sales agency".


The key is to keep your first answer short, super easy to understand, and leave room for back and forth because they will do one of two things: inquire further or smile and change the conversation.


If they inquire further they are letting you know what you do is relevant to them in some way (Fun!).


If they smile and change the conversation (that's cool too). When you stay unattached to their interest level you come across as a classy and confident communicator.


First meetings with people aren't the time to overwhelm someone with your full story, a deep dive into your target market or niche, your brand promise, or necessarily your vision or values. These are all essential elements of your brand message, but networking convos are not usually the time or place to dive deep into them.


Start with your title and then turn it back to them. If they want to know more, proceed to share your mission statement (coming next). If the relationship is meant to progress, exchange contact info and follow up!


Jill's favorite way to follow up is to send a text or LinkedIn connect message with a personalized message on the spot so she can return to the thread later and pick up the conversation.

#3. An introduction formula to help people send business your way

Crafting a memorable succinct message is powerful and takes time. In a previous issue on Vision and Mission we shared how to test your message’s simplicity and accuracy: if your grandmother can explain what you do to her friends at bridge, then your message is clear!


Several mission statement formats apply to different specialties. Here is a classic one that you can adjust to suit your industry.


I help (target market: you can list up to 3) with/achieve (benefit + metric) so they can get X (dream/aspiration) without Y (what they think will be required).


Jill's Example - I help individuals, entrepreneurs and organizations implement a marketing strategy they enjoy and earn the sales they want with a service that's like hiring an agency without breaking the bank.


If you'd like a marketing strategy you enjoy with sales you trust you can learn more here.


Speed-up & Sum-up: Introducing Yourself with Confidence


Networking isn’t just something you do at meetups or conferences. It can be in line at a coffee shop, with your running group, or while waiting to pick up your kids from soccer. Introductions you make through networking can be game-changing personally and professionally.


When we treat people like people, think more about being real than self-promoting, and break our introduction into smaller bite-size pieces, then we create space to make magic happen.


We say what we do. And if someone's curious they’ll ask for more or maybe respond with, “I know someone who needs what you do”. Articulating what you do in a way that makes you memorable, repeatable and invites the other person to want to know more is the goal of networking.


After all, we don't need everyone to be 'that one in the room that believes in us'. Your key relationships are looking for you just as much as you are looking for them. Your important connections are written in the stars.


They will happen!


To energetically align to inspire more confidence in your work use Margarita's weekly Midweek Momentum mantra:

"My essence shines through when I introduce myself."

To speed up the adoption of this mantra, save this image (or take a screenshot) and set it as your phone home screen.

That wraps up our issue on introducing yourself in honor of International Networking Week! We hope you got some new ideas on how to introduce yourself in a way that feels doable, joyful and inspires confidence with those you meet! 😎


In next week's issue we are sharing our personal experience with why we took the big step of switching the online provider for our business and some of the tools you may want to look at for your business needs.


Thanks for reading!


Here's to every small step toward a big dream,

Jill McAbe and the Midweek Momentum Team


Have a Joyful Rest of Your Week!


A special thank you for supporting Midweek Momentum by reading right down to the bottom! We are grateful for your attention. If you have any ideas or comments about this issue or suggestions for upcoming ones, we'd love to hear from you. You can reach out directly at mm@true2brand.com.


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The blog where vision-driven entrepreneurs and organizations find easy and joyful marketing ideas that energetically attract their ideal clients.


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CATEGORIES

SALES AND MARKETING

AUTHENTIC MARKETING

BRAND MESSAGING

BUSINESS ENERGETICS

MARKETING STRATEGY

PREDICTABLE SALES

BUSINESS MINDSET

By the True2Brand™ Accelerator Team

The blog where vision-driven entrepreneurs and organizations find easy and joyful marketing ideas that energetically attract their ideal clientelle.

Jill McAbe

Executive Director

Founder and CEO


Specialist at True2Brand in vision and strategy facilitation, business model design and leadership development. All about joyful productivity training, and making positive change fun. Not a fan of false dichotomies, Jill loves both dogs and cats, mountains and beaches. She also adores hiking with her two mini-aussie poos.

Joel Baum

AI Director

and Strategic Advisor


Specialist at True2Brand in strategic communications and developing AI Tools and GPTs. Professor of Strategic Management at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Co-Author of "Epinets: The Epistemic Structure and Dynamics of Social Networks." Joel has a fondness for trees.

Margarita Angelatos

Marketing Director

and Energy Healer


Specialist at True2Brand in energy healing, product design, production, and merchandising. Creator of "One Year of Divine Healing". Former Head Designer and Production Manager for Hard Goods and Accessories at Lululemon. Margarita is a caring animal healer and rescuer and has a passion for travel.

Trina Brooks

Client Success Director

and Implementation Coach


Specialist at True2Brand in Storytelling, Interviewing, Self-Publishing, SEO, and Web Building. Accomplished Playwright and Novelist, Author of the Historical Mystery, "The Barron Hills of Creighton," a novel that will keep you guessing until the last page.

The blog where vision-driven entrepreneurs and organizations find easy and joyful marketing ideas that energetically attract their ideal clients.


Get True2Brand marketing insights delivered to your inbox every other Wednesday.

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