No matter where you go, you are bound to answer this simple question: What do you do? Whether you are in an elevator, or at your friend’s Holiday Party, or just struck a conversation with someone at the gym, supermarket or bagel store.
When I got my holistic health and wellness certification I started to research what successful practitioners do. How do they get their practice off the ground? How do they get patients and clients? The fastest strategy seemed to be networking.
Ouch! I’ve always been the quietest, shy and invisible person in the room. Now, I had to figure it out how to make networking, work for me. Preferably in a way that felt authentic.
I announced to my awesome husband – “Honey, I am joining a networking group. The closest one is 20 min away from our house. Oh! I have to be there at 7am which means you’ll be taking Mel to the babysitter once a week.”
Everything worked out, I got my business cards, dressed for success and was ready to rock and roll. Yes, that’s right… I was also petrified!
How did I know that? Well, by the look on the interior designer’s face. She had been a member for quite a while. Which helped her to recognize a newbie when she saw one. Luckily, she took me under her wings, introduced me to a few members and visitors. Then she took me to the table and invited me to sit right next to her. So I did. I was grateful for her kind gesture.
Now, it was time for the twenty-six of us to introduce our businesses with the famous 60 Seconds Elevator Speech. I had read a book about networking before I went and I wasn’t totally unprepared. But I was still petrified!
Listening to twenty-six short speeches it was like having someone putting one hand on each side of my head and shaking it really hard for 30 min. I had NO idea what just happened. My brain was being bombarded with new information. I zoned out halfway through.
I could also feel a little victory for me to show up even when I had never networked professionally before. At the end of the meeting, I decided to give it a shot and requested an application. After a week or so I was accepted. Yay!
A week after week I was meeting with the same group of people. Eventually, I learned and understood what each and every one of them did for a living. The more I learned about them the more referrals I was able to give. Win-Win. Just how I like it.
About six months into my networking experience I met with a member for a “Dance Card” (aka one-on-one coffee meeting to learn more about his business and build the know, like and trust factor.) This is when he said to me “Week after week you say the exact same thing and I still don’t know what you do.”
I was shocked and disappointed. How was that possible? So, on the next morning meeting, I was still frustrated. This is how I delivered my speech. I stood up and slapped my hands loud and hard on the table and said: “I am sick and tired of coming here week after week and you still don’t know what I do!”
At first, they were startled but then they all started to laugh. They all thought it was a joke – but it wasn’t. To my surprise, on the following meeting when they called the participants for awards, they called my name. I was like, what!? Why?
They awarded me with the best 60 Second Elevator Speech of the week. It was a total shock to me. That’s when it hit me! People don’t want boring 60 second elevator speeches. They want to be entertained!They don’t want boring facts, features or vague information. That’s when I started to get creative, play and deliver better speeches.
Before I share what to include in your 60 Sec Commercial so people will pay attention, memorize what you do and best of all, walk up to you at the end of the meeting and either ask “How can you help me?” or say “I have a referral for you.” Consider this:
- Have 10-60 Sec speeches ready to go
- Craft different 60-Sec Speeches for different people and/or situations
- Make them laugh
Here are 7 tactics to make your 60 Sec Elevator Speech Stick:
1. Start with a question: Our brain is beautifully designed to answer questions. Just look at infomercials on TV.
Do you know when…
Have you ever…
Did you know…
Example:
Do you know how new parents feel lost, insecure and afraid of making mistakes when they bring their newborn home? Well, I give them step-by-step strategies on how to take care of their baby’s need so they can actually start enjoying parenting.
Do you know how some babies don’t stop crying even when they are fed and changed? Well, I work with new parents. I share tactics on soothing babies without stress and eliminating the fear of doing something wrong.
Do you know how some babies cry all night long? I coach new parents on what to do so their baby sleep all night…like an angel.
Do you know how some people dread going to work every day?
Do you know how some people get into one bad relationship after another?
Do you know how some people are always complaining of back pain?
Do you know when people stress about what they need to wear for a wedding?
2. Share a quick story: People love to listen to and tell stories. Facts tell but stories sell. They also love a happy ending.
Example:
When I was 13 years old my sister was struggling with severe allergies. Nothing my mom did work. One day, my mom went to the chiropractor’s office and he asked if she wanted to give it a try. My mom said why not? We have nothing to lose. As a result, my sister’s allergies disappeared after a month of getting adjusted. That’s when I decided to become a chiropractor.
3. Be animated in your delivery: Did you know 95% of our communication is non-verbal? Only 5% of our words actually count. You’ve heard the saying, It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. Use vocal variety such as pitch, tone, cadence and timbre to emphasize what you want to say.
Example:
Shhh, don’t wake up the baby…but it was too late. He had already SLAMMED the front door on his way in. The baby wakes up, starts crying (make a crying sound), the wife is frustrated and starts shouting “I told you not to wake up the baby!” (raise the tone of your voice) and it took two hours for the dad to calm down both the mom and the baby. Since babies are light sleepers, I help new parents to be ok with if the baby cries a little, most of the time they go right back to sleep.
4. Share a metaphor that describes what you do: This is a powerful one because it bypasses the skeptical mind and it overcomes major objections.
Example: Whether we realize it or not, every day is a sunny day. Even though, the clouds make it look otherwise. When new parents know what to do, they can enjoy parenting 200% instead of 90%. I provide tactics for new parents to be confident, strong and happy even on cloudy parenting days.
5. Grab their attention with a fun fact: This is a short and sweet (or sometimes thought-provoking) way to make them stop and pay attention to you.
Example: 4 Babies Are Born Every Second – Have you ever wondered how many births occur around the world every minute? The answer would be 255. That is 4.3 births every single second! I’ll make sure your baby isn’t the one crying all night long. You don’t need to be sleep deprived when you follow my Meaningful Parenting Approach.
6. Share a case study: you can share the shortest version of a case study. Paint a clear picture of a before and after and the results they got.
Example: One of my clients couldn’t understand why she was working so hard on her business and wasn’t getting enough clients. When we worked together I soon realized that in spite of all the actions she was taking, she had no idea who her ideal client was. That’s why she was attracting the wrong type of clients or no clients at all. We crafted her YES client profile and put her marketing is on autopilot. As a result, she crossed the 6 Figure mark in revenue in only 12 months.
7. Use a prompt: Our brain loves associating images, smells and sounds to words. That’s how we remember things. We are consistently making associations with our 5 senses. Use a prompt that engages their vision, sense of smell or sound. If you work with kids you could use a baby doll, pacifier or a diaper as a prompt.
Example:
For one of my 60 Sec Speech I pull out a cowgirl hat which I call my marketing hat. I proceed to tell them that when my clients have trouble putting their expertise in front of the right people. It is time to put their “Marketing Hat” on!
Oh! I almost forgot to tell you, 6 months after being part of the group I was invited to fill in the “Meet & Greet” role because of my bubbly personality. By then I had really come out of my shell – and could never go back.
When delivering your 60-Sec Speech try to use one of these tactics. You ONLY have 60-Sec. Make it short & sweet. Remember people want to be…E-N-T-E-R-T-A-I-N-E-D.
Are you ready to make your marketing stick in people’s mind like crazy glue, get noticed by your ideal clients and get more referrals? Then, I invite you to apply for a complimentary “Profit Power UP Marketing Plan” where we’ll discuss how you are uniquely designed to succeed in your practice by ONLY taking action on strategies that honor who you are. Click here to apply!