I was at a party recently with a friend who was talking to a few guys when one of them asked what he did for a living. My friend simply said "maintenance." The two men immediately turned around and walked away once he disclosed his employment. The party was in an uppity section of town, but still I was very surprised at the incredible condescending attitude. What my friend didn't tell them is what he really meant was mental health maintenance. You see, he is a doctor, a psychiatrist, president of a mental health organization at a regional level.

The shallow nature of their boorish behavior got me thinking about work identification. Unless I'm business networking, I rarely ask somebody what they do for a living since they're at a party to have fun, not to talk business.

I volunteered to speak to students at my former high school, Jesuit, on career day. I was surprised at how challenging it was to describe commercial real estate appraising to 17-year-olds. Instead I talked about the happiness factor of having a career that provided an in-depth knowledge base of the real estate industry (which can be leveraged in many ways), while also providing flexibility and income potential.

My assumption is that everybody knows what I do for a living. Often times I find that's not the case, even with my friends and family. I tell them I only appraise commercial properties and then strangely, short-term amnesia sets in and they continue to describe their home's attributes in great detail. I started wondering if perhaps my work identity was not clear.

I drove past a shopping center with a tenant's sign that caught my attention, Affordable Dentures. I thought how succinct; a two word description. I know exactly what they do, no mysteries. Commercial real estate appraising is easy to understand, but how often do we drill down to details? I have found over the years most people are so busy with their own lives they forget the specifics of what you do.

Would you get additional market share if you promoted your business identity better? I think we (myself included) fall short on specifics in what we are communicating. Tell your story. Provide clarity for referrals. Highlight what you're good at. But whatever you do, never tell someone you're "just an appraiser."