People judge you within seconds of meeting you, and there isn't much you can do about that wiring. What you can control is what they judge you on. Introduce yourself the way most people do (your name, role, a general description of what you offer) and you've placed yourself in the average category before the conversation has even started. The alternative is naming the specific type of person you help and the specific problem you solve for them, backed by intellectual property nobody else in the room has. That single shift moves you from forgettable to top 10% in your industry, in the same handshake. The starting point is identifying the game you can play and win, based on your own background. Get that right and every introduction reinforces your status instead of costing you it. I break down exactly how to build that pitch here: