When you’re introduced to someone, what’s one of the first questions people ask?

“So… what do you do?”

Your answer matters. Either you bore your new friend to death and they move on to talk with someone else or you frame your work in a way that’s intriguing. Hey, if it helps, just pretend you’re on an episode of Shark Tank staring up at Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner.

We sit down with our CEO for 15 minutes each week to get practical business advice so we can advance in our careers. On this episode, we chat about what to do if you’re about to give your elevator pitch…

Key Takeaways

• Frame the conversation so the other person can respond to you. Set yourself up to have a dialogue
• Let the other person’s work help determine your response. Find commonalities between the two of you
• Practice, practice, practice
• Showing initiative when you network sets you apart from the crowd