If, Then I Will

When you’re presenting yourself to someone new, presenting your skills, presenting your work, you’re hoping the other person will connect the dots, know who to recommend you to, spread the word.

You can formulate that intro a few different ways…

“I can do the following…”
“I have done this in the past…”
“If someone in this situation, then I will be able to…”

The first, “I can”, talks about your present set of skills.
The second, “I have done this in the past”, offers proof.

The third, “If, then I will”, is a little different.

It’s different because it connects a pain to a promise.

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With an “if”, you state the situation you can be helpful in.

“If someone is stuck with their vibe-coded app…”
“If it’s hard for someone to get the word out for their product…” “If it’s been too many times that they’ve tried to make this thing happen for their business…”

With an “I will”, you state that you can be relied upon to deliver.

Maybe you don’t have a ton of proof in your past that you can, or that you have, but if you have been known for your reliability at keeping your promises, then surely you don’t need as much of the burden of proof. If you say “I will”, then it will be done.

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Empathy for a painful situation, and your promise. You’ll then get the gig, you’ll deliver on your promise. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to say that you can do this work, and you’ll be able to say that you have done this work.

What’s more, people will know how to connect the dots. If someone has this pain, then you’re the one to call.