Dear Tony,
I am an IFA and I generate the majority of my new business by attending networking events. I was at an event the other day and was aware that out of 35 attendees, there were 4 IFAs. So when someone approached me and asked “what do you do for a living?” I found it frustrating to reply “I’m an IFA” as I was not able to differentiate myself from the other 3 in the room. Any ideas?
If you think about the question ‘what do you do?’, it could be rephrased to ‘how do you help people?’. When you respond “I’m an IFA”, that’s actually telling someone what you ARE, not what you DO.
Next time someone asks “what do you do?” reply by telling them how you help people i.e I help people make the most of their money and give them peace of mind. This response creates curiosity and will entice them to question you further and make you stand out and be memorable.
If someone asks me “what do you do?” I used to say “I’m a sales trainer”. I now say ‘I help salespeople convert more business and maximize every opportunity”.
