The Dreaded Elevator Pitch
Last night I went to a speed networking event.
To be honest I really didn't feel like going because I've been struck down by this cold that's going around. That'll teach me to get myself over-tired at Internet Marketing Conferences and then stay up late plotting world domination!!
The problem was that if I didn't go the event, I'd be missed. I'm not saying that everyone there would have been crying into their fizzy water because they didn't get to see me - I was the speaker and I think I would have been noticed if I didn't go.
Thankfully, I was only on for about 15 minutes to talk about how to network effectively - the dos and don'ts, how to follow up with contacts and what to include in an elevator pitch. It was interesting how different people picked up on different things.
One person said that when I went through the list of don'ts, he was guilty of one of the major no-nos - looking over people's shoulders to see who else is in the room. He hadn't realised how awful if feels when you think you're having a great conversation, but the other person starts looking over your shoulder to see if there's someone more interesting to talk to!
Another said that she really struggled to come up with an effective elevator pitch that would get her noticed. And she said that after the event, a few other women had said they struggled as well. We raised the question why women seem to feel uncomfortable 'selling themselves' and men don't. Yes, it's a sweeping generalisation and I'm sure you'll tell me that you're the exception to the rule, but on the whole there do seem to be some differences.
I've been in BNI for over a year now and I'm currently the Chapter Director of BNI Putney. This means I run the breakfast networking meeting once a week. At BNI every member has a minute to present their business to the rest of the group. Our chapter is growing fast and once the paperwork is processed, we'll have hit the magical membership of 30 people.
What I'm saying is that I get exposed to around 30 different elevator pitches at least once a week. The people who give the most boring ones are those that state their profession/trade, a list of things that they do and say "if you know anyone who might be interested, tell them about me".
The people who deliver the best elevator pitches are those that ask questions, talk about benefits, tell success stories and give specific examples of the types of clients they'd like to work with.
That last point is vital.
You'll know that I'm a big fan of niching. When you niche, you can be very specific about the types of clients you want to work with. And magically, they appear. Last night, I mentioned one of the niches that I operate in and as if by magic, the man I was talking knew the HR Director of the organisation I'd been trying to get into for ages. They are going to be reviewing their supplier list in two months time. (I'm sure you can understand why I'm not posting details about their organisation on this blog otherwise I'd open myself up to loads of competition and I've worked bloomin' hard on this!!).
So, today, think about who would be your ideal client and tell people! If you don't ask you don't get! If you want to work with, say, stressed head teachers - tell people because it's a lot easier for them to think about whether they know any than try and guess who might be interested in your coaching.
Thoughts anyone??
To be honest I really didn't feel like going because I've been struck down by this cold that's going around. That'll teach me to get myself over-tired at Internet Marketing Conferences and then stay up late plotting world domination!!
The problem was that if I didn't go the event, I'd be missed. I'm not saying that everyone there would have been crying into their fizzy water because they didn't get to see me - I was the speaker and I think I would have been noticed if I didn't go.
Thankfully, I was only on for about 15 minutes to talk about how to network effectively - the dos and don'ts, how to follow up with contacts and what to include in an elevator pitch. It was interesting how different people picked up on different things.
One person said that when I went through the list of don'ts, he was guilty of one of the major no-nos - looking over people's shoulders to see who else is in the room. He hadn't realised how awful if feels when you think you're having a great conversation, but the other person starts looking over your shoulder to see if there's someone more interesting to talk to!
Another said that she really struggled to come up with an effective elevator pitch that would get her noticed. And she said that after the event, a few other women had said they struggled as well. We raised the question why women seem to feel uncomfortable 'selling themselves' and men don't. Yes, it's a sweeping generalisation and I'm sure you'll tell me that you're the exception to the rule, but on the whole there do seem to be some differences.
I've been in BNI for over a year now and I'm currently the Chapter Director of BNI Putney. This means I run the breakfast networking meeting once a week. At BNI every member has a minute to present their business to the rest of the group. Our chapter is growing fast and once the paperwork is processed, we'll have hit the magical membership of 30 people.
What I'm saying is that I get exposed to around 30 different elevator pitches at least once a week. The people who give the most boring ones are those that state their profession/trade, a list of things that they do and say "if you know anyone who might be interested, tell them about me".
The people who deliver the best elevator pitches are those that ask questions, talk about benefits, tell success stories and give specific examples of the types of clients they'd like to work with.
That last point is vital.
You'll know that I'm a big fan of niching. When you niche, you can be very specific about the types of clients you want to work with. And magically, they appear. Last night, I mentioned one of the niches that I operate in and as if by magic, the man I was talking knew the HR Director of the organisation I'd been trying to get into for ages. They are going to be reviewing their supplier list in two months time. (I'm sure you can understand why I'm not posting details about their organisation on this blog otherwise I'd open myself up to loads of competition and I've worked bloomin' hard on this!!).
So, today, think about who would be your ideal client and tell people! If you don't ask you don't get! If you want to work with, say, stressed head teachers - tell people because it's a lot easier for them to think about whether they know any than try and guess who might be interested in your coaching.
Thoughts anyone??
posted by Hannah McNamara at 9:40 am
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