When you spend time at social, sport, network gatherings where you may meet people who don’t know you – what is one of the first questions everyone asks when meeting someone new…
Answer – “So what do you do?”
And your response may well be…. ‘I’m an accountant’ (bookkeeper, chiropractor, doctor, lawyer, etc) – in other words – your ‘job’.
And then afterwards you have the usual regrets when you realise the person you spoke to could be a potential client, lead source or even a potential business partner and you know just how bland your answer sounded.
So what to do?
Well, if you haven’t already (or have not refreshed it recently) how about crafting your own ‘elevator pitch’ (i.e. a succinct speech – less than 30 seconds – that generates interest in what you do) so that you have a prepared answer (but practiced so it doesn’t sound too formulaic!!) to respond naturally and leave the other person interested in knowing more?
A good ‘elevator pitch’ should answer four basic questions:-
- What do you do (e.g. ‘We provide tailored business advise’)
- Who do you do it for (e.g. ‘For small to medium sized businesses’)
- Why should they care – ‘What’s In It For Them’ (e.g. ‘who we help get sustainable and profitable growth’)
- Why is your company different (e.g. ‘Unlike others we take time to understand the owners needs before recommending actions’)
Follow these steps to create your elevator pitch
- Identify your goal (e.g. do you want to weed out those not good potential clients – ‘We work with small business owners who are committed to growth’).
- Explain what you do (but focus on how you help people – e.g. ‘We help business owners clarify their goals and then achieve them’).
- Communicate your USP (what makes you unique – e.g. ‘We use structured diagnostic processes and analytical tools to ensure the business owner’s key goals are clearly understood, before addressing the optimal solutions’).
- Engage with a question (have open-ended questions ready – e.g. ‘How does your company find prospective clients?’).
- Put it all together (short, 20-30 seconds).
- Practice (once you have it crafted, read it out loud for yourself over and over until it becomes second nature).
So bringing this all together the elevator pitch could be ‘We work with small business owners who are committed to sustainable and profitable growth, to help clarify their direction. Then, using our structured diagnostic processes, ensure the best solution is implemented to achieve their goals. How is your business growth?’
So go and craft your own elevator pitch and use it as frequently as possible so it becomes natural.