Widget. A pretty funny-sounding word, don’t you think? According to Dictionary.com, a widget is defined as “a small mechanical device, as a knob or switch, especially one whose name is not known or cannot be recalled.”
Many associate this word with the manufacturing industry to describe those items coming off an assembly line. However, in my many marketing courses, it was known as the way to generically describe the products or services a business sells. For example, in my business, Frittabello, one of my ‘widgets’ would be my baby journal. For a restaurant, perhaps one of their widgets is pizza.
No matter how you choose to define the term, as a small business owner, it’s important to know what your widget is. That is, what are you really selling? Because, guess what? If you can’t define it clearly, consistently and authentically, neither will your customers. However, your competition will see this deficit and capitalize on it.
As I stated in my previous article on this topic (https://essentialnaples.com/?p=982), knowing who you are is a key piece in being able to authentically talk about your business or “widget”. This article will take that concept a step further by providing some examples and some lessons learned (the hard way I might add) in my own business.
Like many of you reading this article, I attend a good number of networking events, where, other than chit-chat about the weather, the inevitable question is, “So, what do you do?” The answers I’ve received to this question have left me both inspired and confused. Usually when I am inspired, it is not necessarily by the eloquent delivery of an over-practiced and dry elevator pitch, but rather by the clarity and passion for which the business owner describes their product or service. When am I confused? Easy. Either when I can’t figure out what it is the person does by their response or when they go on and on for what seems like hours describing every facet of their business.
Let me provide you with two examples. See if you can tell who knows exactly what their ‘widget’ is and who doesn’t.
Sample Networking Event Conversation #1
Me: “So, Mary, what line of business are you in?”
Mary: “I’m a financial advisor for XYZ company.”
Me: “I see. And what type of clients do you serve?”
Mary: “Well, anyone really. I guess people who need help with their portfolios.”
Me: “Interesting. Do you specialize in any one product?”
Mary: Not really. It depends on the client’s needs and the questionnaire they fill out when they come to us.”
Me: “How long have you been a financial advisor?”
Mary: “Too long.”
Sample Networking Event Conversation #2
Me: “Hi John. So, what line of business are you in?”
John: “I heal people.”
Me: “Really? Interesting. What type of healing do you do?”
John: “I specialize in Reiki, but I am also a massage therapist, and an intuitive.”
Me: “Fascinating. Do you specialize in any particular type of client?”
John: “Yes, actually. My practice consists mostly of people who have experienced a trauma in their life and they want to identify it, heal from it, and move on. They have a real desire for change and seek out alternative healing to assist them.”
Me: “Sounds like you’re really helping people to move forward.”
John: “I love helping people. I am happy that I can assist them in improving their lives and tapping into their gifts.”
Me: “Wow. Is this what you always dreamed of doing?”
John: “No. I used to be a financial advisor.”
Now, which person knows what they are selling and can clearly and authentically describe it to a total stranger? Pretty obvious, I know. But you can see how these examples illustrate the difference between someone who is clear on what they offer and has a passion for it and someone who does not.
To be fair, perhaps Mary is simply burnt out and I caught her on a bad night. Or perhaps she isn’t really clear on how she is helping people by assisting them with their financial plans. However, if this is a career for which she wants to continue to practice, a little soul searching and research may be in order for her to clearly identify the value she brings to her customers.
John, on the other hand, is very clear on his skills (Reiki, massage therapist, intuitive) and the benefits he brings to his clients (healing). He even knows that he is especially helpful to those who have experienced some type of trauma in their lives. (We’ll talk next month about the importance of differentiating yourself and your “widget”.) He still has a strong passion for his work and it is easy to see him continuing in this line of work for the long haul. Mary, on the other hand, might want to look into a career change!
Now, why is it that John was able to describe what he does so succinctly and definitively and Mary was not? I outlined some brief reasons above, but let’s dig a little deeper with a more personal and real example.
When I first started cold-calling various retailers to inquire about them selling my baby journal in their stores, they would ask me to describe my product, which I did… in about a thousand words. I was excited about my creation. I could talk for hours about how cool it was and why they just had to have it in their store. But let’s face it. Retailers do not have hours and hours for you to convince them to sell your unknown product in their store. And more importantly, if you can’t describe to them in 30 seconds or less what your product is and why they should sell it, forget it. It will be a quick “bye-bye” for you. This is true for direct customers as well. When people would approach my table at an event, they would want the 30-second commercial, not the 2-hour infomercial.
After a few “bye-bye’s”, I realized I needed help. I had to find a way to describe what I do in a way that would be compelling, quick, consistent, and real. I did not want to “commercial-ize” my product, but I also knew if I didn’t figure out how to sell this baby journal, all of my hard work to create it, would be for nothing.
So I took my own advice (as outlined in https://essentialnaples.com/?p=982). One day, I sat down and thought about my product. I listed all of its features and benefits. I worked to put these into a few sentences that I could rattle off to a retailer in under a minute. I read it over and over. Something wasn’t right. It was flat. It lacked any depth or authenticity. It sounded like a used-car salesman’s pitch. Then I realized what was missing. Me. I was missing from this description. I was focused so much on the product that I forgot who created it. I forgot the inspiration behind it and the passion I felt during its development. It was like listening to a song on the radio when there’s too much bass or treble. The song sounds ok…but until you balance it out, you really don’t get the full experience of the music.
I threw out my list. I went back to the day I decided to write the baby journal. And I tapped back into the reasons why. I also reflected on who I was as a person and what I was about. It became crystal clear. I wanted families to record the stories of their children’s lives in their own words, at their own pace, in their own time. And I wanted to help them create a keepsake that their family would always treasure. I was all about family.
Soon after, when I called upon retailers with my new “widget” description, a funny thing happened. They asked me another question, and another, and another. And that’s when I could describe the product features and benefits. But it was my story and my “why” that hooked them in. Sometimes the answer was still no, but many times over, it was not. Why? Because I was clear on what I was actually selling. I had a passion for it. And I knew how to authentically and quickly describe my product to grab their interest.
I encourage you, if you are struggling with securing new customers, or, if people have a dazed and confused look on their face after you describe your ‘widget’, to take some time and think about what it is you are really selling. What problem do you solve? Why are you doing it? See if you can put all those thoughts into a sentence or two. Deliver them with confidence and passion. Then, sit back, as the multitude of follow-up questions begins.
Coming next month: “What’s Makes My Business Different?” Learn how to differentiate your product or service offering to make it compelling for your customers.
Contact Information:
Jennifer Covello
Owner, Founder, Frittabello, LLC
www.frittabello.com
203.524.0784
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/frittabello
Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jencovello
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/frittabello
Jennifer Covello, MBA, is an award-winning author and owner of Frittabello, LLC, a baby gift business she started in 2008. Her products are available online at www.frittabello.com and in upscale Fairfield County, CT retailers. Ms. Covello facilitates “Put Your Love on Paper” baby journaling workshops (http://www.facebook.com/putyourloveonpaper) as well as small business workshops for moms called “Moms to Mompreneurs”. She is a frequent contributor to various online publications for entrepreneurs and is a blogger for Working Mother Magazine. Ms. Covello lives in Norwalk with her two children.