It’s a common stand-up comedy cliche when a comic does improvised “crowd work” from the stage:
“Sir, what do you do for for a living?”
Whether it be a doctor, accountant, construction worker, mail clerk and so forth… virtually 100% of the time, the answer I’d receive back is easily identifiable, both by myself and the audience. We can very simply put a picture in our collective heads on what this person does as an occupation, his day-to-day tasks on a general level and why others pay him to do it.
After a couple of hackneyed jokes poking fun at the public assumptions based on his chosen line of work, I’d typically ask the audience member follow-up questions to dive deeper into details: (obviously, so I can have more ammunition to create witty comebacks at his expense!)
“What makes you different from other people in your profession? Why the hell should I hire you? What can you do for me?”
At this point, I usually get a stammer or even just a blank stare as the audience member really has no clue how to answer. This shows how often individuals tend to identify more with the stereotype or caricature of their occupation than looking inwards at what makes their story unique amongst the sea of others in their line of work.
Occasionally, I’ll get an answer, but usually in the measurement of how successful they are:
“I work for the #1 peanut butter distributer in the world.”
“I know the pulse of the home furnishings industry more than anyone else.”
“I graduated from the most prestigious culinary school in the country.”
Invariably, my retort back to this is – what the &%$#! does that matter to me?
A unique selling proposition should be focused on the benefits of those being sold, not on the self-promotion of your own individual qualifications. Sure, they may indeed be quite one-of-a-kind, but it doesn’t resonate with the needs of a potential customer.
In addition, your USP must also be easily understood by the lowest common denominator. Sure, those in your industry may know the meaning of the buzzwords & jargon you throw into your elevator pitch… but those who actually will be paying you for your product/services typically are not familiar with it whatsoever. You don’t need to sound smarter than you are or try to impress your peers – just find the simplest way of describing what it is you do and how it satisfies someone’s needs.
I’m a stand-up comic. I make drunk people laugh.
So, what do you do for a living?
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