Be clear and concise. Prepare your answer in advance if needed so you can remain focused and to the point. Refrain from outlining the many products and services you offer as this can be overwhelming to the other person.

Do not sell. All you want to do is pique the other person’s interest. If they ask follow up questions, expand a little but don’t push too hard. Provide information as they continue to ask questions either because they are curious, perhaps interested in buying or they may have someone in mind to refer to you.  However, avoid going into “hard sell” mode.

Highlight the benefits. Perhaps the most important is to focus on the benefits you provide and how you or your products/services help others.   For example, if you are an accountant with a firm that provides tax, bookkeeping, and payroll services, you want to focus on what these services help others achieve. What is the benefit you provide your clients?

Accountant: I take the frustrating tasks off my clients’ hands and, in the process, help them save thousands of dollars each year.

Personal Trainer: I help people reclaim their confidence and easily maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Personal Chef: I bring families back to the dinner table to reconnect and catch up on their day.

Help them understand. As follow up questions are asked, a great way to boil it down is to explain your ideal client.

Accountant: My ideal client is a small business owner who complains about filing tax returns. I can help them set up a system or take the task off their hands and keep them compliant.

Personal Trainer: A good referral for me is the frustrated yo-yo dieter.  I’ve helped many lose weight who had previously complained that their dieting efforts never paid off.

Personal Chef: My clients tend to be dual-income families with children who have trouble getting dinner on the table to eat together as a family.

Bob Burg (co-author of Go-Givers Sell More) reminds us of the sales expression:   You can’t say the wrong thing to the right person, and you can’t say the right thing to the wrong person.

So don’t get too caught up in your answer or a specific outcome you want to achieve. Focus on the benefits, how you help others, be yourself, and keep it short and sweet. If the person you’re speaking with isn’t interested in your product/service, perhaps they know someone who is.