“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.”
– Antoine de Saint Exupery
Every business owner is the Picasso of their business! No one knows your business in the way that you imagine it! If you were given the opportunity to explain what you do, how you do it, when you do it, where you do it, and why you do it, could you paint a picture that makes sense to the person you are selling?
When someone asks me what I do for a living or what Integrative Management Solutions does, my answer is simple. “I help business owners sleep better at night,” or “I help business owners reclaim their time,” or “I help business owners save money.” Have I explained my Picasso painting? Probably not.
I am a Strategic Operations Management expert. What does that mean? My specific expertise lies in Business Process Improvement, Strategic and Operations Management, and Nonprofit Management. Is my Picasso taking shape yet?
I know that business owners lose money when bottlenecks occur in business processes. I know business owners concern themselves about how to retain customers and top-notch talent. I know business owners constantly think about reducing waste, cutting costs, and mitigating risks. I understand that without a strategic plan, your business will not be able to sustain business operations based on ad hoc decisions. I know performance is driven by more than the dollar amount on the bottom line. I know that efficiency and effectiveness are not one-in-the-same, but both are needed to sustain a successful competitive edge. I know the last thing a business owner wants to do is be bogged down in paperwork, stuck in meetings, and working in the business instead of on the business.
My Picasso is becoming a little clearer now.
Many of my fellow business colleagues and I struggle with describing a situation or solution in a way that is compelling. So compelling that the person we’re pitching our product or service to wants to hear more about how we can help them. In describing your business, product, or service, keep it simple. You don’t have to seal the deal when pitching your business, but it should paint a clear, memorable, and therefore repeatable, picture when you are not present.
Posted by Dr. Drena Valentine to LinkedIn on April 23, 2021
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