How To Craft An Answer To “What Do You Do For A Living?”

Now it’s time to put all of those components together into a clear, concise statement that you can use as a reply to the question whenever someone asks “what do you do for a living?”

Do you have a clear, concise statement for the question “What do you do for a living?” that sparks conversation? Unfortunately, most agents miss their opportunity by answering with a standard “I’m a real estate agent.”

What’s the problem with that answer? It doesn’t clearly identify what it is that you do and why that’s beneficial to them. To you, being a “real estate agent” means certain things. Your prospects, however, probably don’t think of your profession in the same light. After all, they’re influenced by the media, their own perceptions, and those of family and friends. It’s entirely possible you’re talking with someone who doesn’t see any value in what you do - or is thinking how much their friend just saved by selling his home with a discount broker - or remembers that his nephew just got a real estate license.

The next common answer is “I help people buy and sell homes.” Ok, that’s a little better, but not specific enough. With 2.6 million agents out there, you’re not doing much to differentiate yourself from everyone else.

A better answer is to state the following:

“I help _____your target audience______
who are struggling/having problems with __your target audience’s problems______
by ______your solution______.”

For instance:

• I help single women who are struggling to decide whether to buy their first home to find the appropriate financing options.
• I help Hispanics who are having problems understanding US real estate laws to buy or sell their home with my bilingual Spanish and English language skills.
• I help real estate investors who are looking for fantastic real estate deals to spot the best deals on the market by providing up-to-date home valuations to my clients each week.

Do you see the difference? Now, you’re telling people exactly what you do, who you do it for, and why that’s beneficial. Chances are, if they know someone who’s in a situation like you’re now describing, they’ll now start talking about that person and the struggles that person has faced. You want to mention the problems because that’s what people are thinking about.

Remember, your personal brand is defined by how people perceive you. It’s up to you to provide them with enough information to help shape their perception.