What do you do for a living?

[ACE]

I just finished reading the cleanfax article about networking. It said that it is important to be able to briefly describe your business in an “engaging, benefit-laden and curiosity-creating” way. I would love to be able to do this because when asked what I do, I just say I have a carpet cleaning service. It’s a conversation killer because the person I am talking to clearly cannot think of any relevant or interesting follow up question. I know everyone’s business is deferent but, please give me some examples of how to do this?

 

[Ron K]

We tell people we Suck for a living that usually invites an interesting response or a quick exit from the person you are talking to.
Honestly it depends on the situation. I usually just keep on asking the person lots of questions about themselves and I listen. Let people talk about themselves first you'll find your spot to talk. I usually don't say directly what we do first off I'll tell a story of how we did work for this person or that
and speak about something interesting about our client Like she was one of the first flight attendents and had to be a registered nurse first and how she met Howard Hughes on a flight and he was really weird. Tell stories!

 

[Art Kelley]

You think our occupation is a conversation killer, imagine being a Proctologist. Ours is not a glamorous industry. If you want to impress someone at a party, just lie. Tell them you're a pilot or a telemarketer. Or a fireman.

 

[Royal Man]

I improve people's lives, their enviroment and their health.

 

[Jim Nelson]

I take the embarrassment out of your home, so you can fill better about your self again. When would you like me to come by an remove it?

 

[daniel@procarpet]

I improve people's lives, their enviroment and their health.

Really? You suck dog piss like the rest of us.

This has been discussed before. If you are at a bar and a nice looking semi drunk girl asks you what you do for a living, you better have a different response than I clean carpet for a living. I am saying this because while in Nashville I watched someone make that mistake and it was definitely a conversation killer. I have said I make 700 dollars a day and that is all you need to know. Really how do you do that? Then I say I own a carpet cleaning business. Just don't say I clean carpet. You might as well say you cut grass for a living. We all know that can be lucrative as well. It is all in how you present things.

 

[Mark Imbesi]

...

 

[Hoody]

I've been wearing my Mytee-Mikefest hat John L sent me, and have been getting weird looks with the vacuum on it....lol priceless.

 

[Mark Imbesi]

...

 

[Nate The Great]

I've been wearing my Mytee-Mikefest hat John L sent me, and have been getting weird looks with the vacuum on it....lol priceless.

lol, me too... Like the comment someone mentioned to Mikey about the vacuum, it's so random...

 

[Dolly Llama]

I take the embarrassment out of your home, so you can fill better about your self again. When would you like me to come by an remove it?

you remove drunk abusive spouses???


..L.T.A.

 

[Hoody]

Okay you do have a point Marc.

 

[Mark Imbesi]

....