Bad b*tch.
That was the phrase I had chosen to use as I introduced myself to a table of older folks at my first ever networking event.
Well, I didn't just throw the phrase out there all on its lonesome, I was referencing one of my weird and wacky clients who does bad b*tch bookkeeping.
One of the women's eyes widened in horror as I managed to slide a curse word into my 60-second pitch. I thought it was impressive, she thought it was unbecoming of a young woman.
Which was perfect, because that's exactly what I wanted.
You see, I had ended up at this networking event as a favor to my sister. (Who is 21 and a fellow entrepreneur. Sidenote: if you live near Boulder, Colorado and need house cleaning services, hit me up because my sister kicks ass.)
It was a Table Top Networking event where all the local Longmontians came to pass out business cards and do networking, speed-dating style. There were 6 rounds and at each table you had 60 seconds to pitch yourself.
And let me tell you, I learned a lot about pitching.
The people who told stories? Crushed it. (Unsurprisingly.)
The people who were confident felt far more trustworthy than the people who seemed nervous and pointed out how new they were. (No shade, happens to the best of us, but no need to out yourself for being new—have some confidence in what you offer!)
The people who only talked about themselves while not making it clear what they did? Snoozefest. (Also, classic bad date behavior.)
The most memorable person brought props! She helped retired folks sell their homes. (Also, I don't know why I've said folks so many times in this email today, but it feels kinda right.) For her pitch, she brought a squishy house and a one hundred dollar bill and explained how you want to have cash money, not house money. (She was way more entertaining than what I just said.) It was a great 60-second introduction to her and the house was irresistibly squishy.
^^^ There's probably some comparison to be made about how props = design and how design helps you be more memorable, but right now I'm thinking about the spring rolls I want to make for dinner so feel free to make up a brilliant comparison of your own.
So why, of all the techniques these lovely folks had chosen, did I decide to drop the phrase “bad b*tch" and stun a few of them with my dirty, sailor mouth?
It's not because I'm a horrible person who wanted to give someone a heart attack right then and there on the freshly waxed, wooden floors while everyone else was being entirely pleasant, sipping delicious chai provided from the restaurant underneath our venue.
It wasn't because I had woken up in a terrible mood thanks to the mosquito bites I was covered in thanks to the early morning walks I've been taking around the lake near my house.
And it certainly wasn't because I was trying to embarrass the hell out of my sister, who would surely, after word got passed around the tight-knit community, become known as the sister to that girl who kept talking about “bad b*tch bookkeeping."
It was because I knew that some of those people would want to hire me. And a lot of them I didn't want to work with.
I know I might sound like an arrogant a-hole, First name / friend, but I swear, I don't mean it that way. I just mean that the people I like working with are the funky and fun people who want to get weird with their copy and don't want to sound like a remix of everything that's already out there.
And I didn't want them to waste their time, reaching out, only for us to both realize we weren't a good match for one another.
That's right, I was actively try to repel potential clients.
And I knew that by saying bad b*tch, the people who would get it, would get it and the people who wouldn't, wouldn't. Which was exactly what I was going for.
We talk all the damn time about who your ideal client is, but today, screw that.
Who's your anti-ideal client?
The person you would DREAD having to work with? What do they want that you have no interest in giving them? What's their personality like? What are all the things that make you a mismatched pairing?
And then what can you say that you know will repel them?
What's your bad b*tch spray in a room full of older folks?
(I'm done, I won't say folks one more time, I swear.)
Knowing who you want to work with is great, vital, super duper important. But knowing who you DON'T want to work with is just as important. And using strategic messaging (cough cough like in your website copy cough cough) is the best chance you have of repelling them.
So go out there, you bad b*tch, and repel all the wrong ones awayFirst name / friend. 😘
