So there I was at the Breakfast Club Network at the Digital Media Centre, trying out another explanation of what I do: “I help businesses simplify what they do.”
A tease, I know, but it appears to be working; either the person I’m speaking with gets it, or it opens up a discussion with additional questions. Good.
The great thing is, though, once the conversation gets going, I often come up with an alternate, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, expansion: “I legitimise the consultation process.” Which got a laugh.
Quantifying something as intangible and ephemeral as an idea is difficult, and sharing them is pointless until someone acts on them, until then — at the end — you know whether the idea worked or not.
If you — like me — create something that captures that idea and turns it into a process, then you have demonstrable evidence that the idea was worth something rather than nothing.
Here, belief is crucial — both within yourself and the client.