What do you say when asked – what do you do?
This is your one opportunity to stand out and you only have a few seconds to really get over to an ideal prospect or client what it is that you do. And most importantly get them asking questions.
Hi I’m Rob Brown and I write books and do presentations in coaching around business networking. That’s helping people make a lot more money from people.
Are you going to get asked in most conversations by people – what do you do? And often that’s a cue for us to stall or come out with some trite job title or something like that – it doesn’t really help – you begin to sound the same as everyone else. But this is your one opportunity to stand out and that’s why it’s called your elevator pitch – you know how you have that few seconds in an elevator or lift to really get over to an ideal prospect or client what it is that you do.
The worst time to think about the best thing to say is as you say it. So you’ve got to get ready for this – you’ve got to craft this, you’ve got to write it all down, you’ve got to get it straight in your head so when that moment comes you can deliver that with impact, with authority, with passion so its gets people interested.
So its no good having the best elevator speech in the world if you deliver it in the wrong way so you’ve got to practice it in front of a mirror or in front of a work colleague so that it sounds great, professional and you are not too waffly.
And I often say – why use a policeman in an automobile when a cop in a car will do. You see how they say the same things – but one says it in short sharp words but it's a punchy message that makes an impact – the others got longer words but it’s a bit more waffly – so practice your delivery.
Stop saying things that everyone else is saying – stop giving job titles that other people are saying – start using your own way of describing what you do because that is going to stand out.
And the fourth thing I would say to you is...
You’ve got to give people a feel for what you do and you don’t give that from your job title – you cant say here’s my job but let me give you an example of what I have done recently for a client or yes this is what I do but why don’t I give you a story about what we have done recently, a project we have been working on which really made a difference to one of our clients.
People love to hear stories, if you give them a good answer to your elevator speech they might buy you but if you tell them a great story they might sell you – so get your elevator pitch right today.
Love Business is proud to be a Heart of the Midlands organisation and have been instrumental in the commissioning of the Derby poet Jamie Thrasivoulou and the production of We are The Heart of the Midlands poem.
