Guest Post by Barbara Lopez – ” The Elevator Pitch Coach”

When was the last time someone asked you, “What do you do?”, and you promptly…drew a blank.  You KNOW what you do, but the challenge is taking everything that’s great about you and what you have to offer and condensing it down to a quick answer, wouldn’t you agree?

Many people avoid networking with people because of this very reason. Professionals often tell me that they don’t actively attend networking functions because they feel like they “don’t get anything out of them”. The biggest reason they may feel this way is because they don’t have an effective 30-second elevator pitch or verbal commercial.

This can be solved with one piece of action: being prepared with a clear, concise 30-second elevator pitch. Putting in even just a little bit of preparation before hitting your next networking function or opportunity does wonders for how effective your elevator pitch will be. This is especially crucial when you’re giving your elevator pitch in a “round robin” situation, introducing yourself to an entire room at once, like at a group function (Chamber or leads group function).

The very first thing you want to do is determine what your goals are for your elevator pitch. But what should those goals be? Allow me to share with you the four most important goals of an effective elevator pitch:

Make a good impression. If you’re attending a networking function to promote your business and make new contacts, you are investing not only your time, but sometimes your money (if there is a cost involved). The quickest way to make sure your investment works for you is to make a good impression. If you’re doing this in a “round robin” situation, and it’s your turn to give your elevator pitch, all eyes and ears are on you. This your chance to show that you are professional, approachable, and most of all an expert at what you do. Although sometimes it feels like an eternity, 30-seconds really does go by in a blink, so you really want to wow the room, and leave them with a great impression of you and your business.

The same can be said if you’re talking to someone in an individual one to one greeting, or even by introducing yourself over the phone.

Be clear and concise. The fastest way to making a good impression is making sure people understand who you are and what you do. Your language should be simple and easy to understand. You should be right to the point, and not leave anyone scratching their heads with confusion. Sticking to 30-seconds is extremely important as well, and will naturally show people you are able to explain what you do concisely. A typical 30-second introduction is usually only between 50 – 75 words. Take a look at your elevator pitch – is it within that timeframe, and is it easy to understand what you do?

Attract the audience/person to want to know more about what you have to offer. Again, you only have 30-seconds to pique interest, so you want to review the content of your elevator pitch and make sure that you’ve given them enough to want to know more. You can do this by simply having a call to action towards the end of your elevator pitch. A call to action simply means giving the audience/person something to do to get more information.

When giving your pitch “round robin style”, maybe you want people to come speak with you, or see a sample of your work following the meeting? Your goal should be to encourage conversation with people after the function. Will it happen every single time? Probably not, but if you have a great reason for people to approach you, your chances are higher of making a connection.

When giving your pitch in a one-to-one conversation, you want your elevator pitch to encourage the person whom you’re speaking to to want to know more. Their next question should be, “How do you do that?”. This opens up the conversation further, and allows you more time to explain the various services/products you have to offer.

Stand apart from your competition. If you’re attending a networking function, chances are there will be other people in the room who offer similar products or services as you, which is why it is critical to stand apart from your competition. There are many ways to do that, but the biggest one is just showing up with a professional elevator pitch (chances are, your competition won’t)! Think about who your competition might be, determine what the focus of their potential elevator pitch might be, and then make sure your elevator pitch rises above anything else.

The same can be said about a one-to-one introduction. When you introduce yourself, the other person will automatically think of someone else who does what you do – we can’t help it, it just happens. That’s why it’s even more important to be sure you don’t even give them the chance to do that. Instead, you need to immediately state why you’re different from your competition within that 30-second elevator pitch.

Whether you’re actively attending networking functions where you’re speaking to a group or just mixing individually with professionals, it’s important to go in with an effective elevator pitch. Using these four goals to focus on while working on your elevator pitch will set you on a focused course, and your time and effort for attending the function will be much more rewarded by filling your database with new contacts.

Don’t allow yourself to draw a blank when someone asks you what you do. Show up prepared, make a good impression, introduce yourself with a clear and concise 30-second elevator pitch, attract the audience to want to know more, and stand apart from your competition. You can do it! Now, go out there and knock their socks off!

Barbara Lopez, “The Elevator Pitch Coach” with Brightfarm Introductions, helps business professionals introduce themselves with high impact. Everything in business STARTS with an introduction. If you’re ready to learn how to introduce yourself and your business professionally and comfortably, visit Barbara at www.brightfarm.com. Be sure to sign up for free weekly tips on how to keep your introduction fresh.

Like this article? Barbara will be a guest on the From Bright to Brilliant Radio Show this Sunday, July12th @ 9PM EST.

Listen live @ www.blogtalkradio.com/taigoodwin

Register here for a reminder and replay link.

As “The Career Makeover Coach”, Tai Goodwin is on a mission to help ambitious individuals reinvent their professional lives by centering on their passion and purpose. Holding as a core belief that we are all called to divine purpose and gifted with a unique passion, Tai uses a results driven, spiritually grounded approach to help clients create career paths to support the lifestyle they desire. Whether it’s helping people go from embittered to empowered professionals or making the transition from employee to entrepreneur, Tai is committed to helping clients tap into their own potential for brilliance. Tai has been empowering others through teaching and coaching for over 14 years. A gifted and insightful communicator, Tai holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Drexel University and a Master of Science in Education from Capella University. She has completed ASTD’s (American Society for Training and Development) Coaching Certificate program and is pursuing professional coaching certification through the International Coach Academy. Originally from Philadelphia, Tai currently lives in Delaware with her daughter. She is currently working on her first book: Reclaiming Your Brilliance: Seven Ways to Take Your Life from Bright to Brilliant.

Web site: http://www.careermakeovercoach.com