If you’re struggling with making yourself clear on what it is that you do for your customers, then I can help you out.

Say that someone asks you what you do? And you’re having a hard time explaining it … That’s when remembering this little trick or hack.

People always want to know what’s in it for ME, right? And we are just as eager to help explain it to them. So we start telling them ALL the things we do, and we might even use the jargon of our industry, knowingly or unknowingly, only to confuse them even more.

If you are struggling with getting your point across. Use this small hack; 

Explain what it is that you do in a way that a 5-year old would understand what it is that you do.

For the first time a couple of weeks ago, I saw this for myself! I was visiting my parents and my nephew was there as well. I was on a call with a client. So I was hiding in one of the rooms down stairs, being on the video call. And while I was on that call, I didn’t know this, but my nephew, he snuck down the stairs and he got up against the door and he looked through the keyhole and he could see me working and talking with my client, having my gear set up; computer propped up, web camera, external lighting and the microphone., 

And as I came back up from that call, my nephew asked me, “Adam, what were you doing down there?”

And I said, that I was working. And he said, “You’re like a Youtuber!”. 

I found this hilarious because he’s five years old. I was surprised that he knew what a Youtuber was. Now, he’s very much into gaming and hanging out on Youtube so of course he would know! 

And because he recognized the set up and all my gear, he figured that I was a Youtuber.

So I tried to explain to him that I’m actually a coach. And I could instantly see the confusion across his face. It did not compute with him. I found it being hard to explain what a coach does. So this is what came out – how I found myself explaining it:

I help people be happier.

And my nephew asked, “Oh, how do you do that?”

I help them do more of the things they like, and less of the things they don’t like.

Now I could see that this was making more sense to him, than telling him I was a coach. And I too could see the value in being more clear and to the point, avoiding complicating things and throwing around big and impressive words.

Visiting my website, my Facebook page or whatever, you can sometimes see how I can get caught up in the words and make things more complicated than they need to be. 

People just want to know what’s in it for me.

It doesn’t matter if you’re running your own business or if you’re employed, if you can’t explain to your customers what it is that you do in a way that will make a five-year-old understand, well don’t be surprised if your customers can’t understand what it is that you do and problems that you solve And perhaps you don’t either.