The dynamic elevator speech

"I hate this networking stuff. I'm no good at small talk!" How many times have we heard this? From friends, co-workers, and even fellow attendees at events where people gather to - you guessed it - network! (If you want true irony, check out the folks who use their distaste for small talk as a subject about which to make small talk! Love it!) This is lethal. How you present yourself to a new contact in that vital first 10 seconds is...well...vital. If your so-called elevator speech isn't a good fit, doesn't ring true for you, or if - god forbid! - it bores you, I can tell you that you're losing valuable contacts, which translates into a negative impact on your bottom line.

A little preparation can work wonders in these situations. Most of us know that we should have an "elevator speech"; that is, we know that we should be able to say what we do in 30 to 60 seconds when we meet someone new. Unfortunately, most folks stop there. They may or may not make some effort to actually prepare such a speech before being faced with a networking scenario. If they do prepare, it's with the concept that this is something they'll do once. They memorize their spiel, and off they go.

The result? They, and anyone listening to them, quickly become bored with the same old patter.

Try something new. I like to call it the dynamic elevator speech. Take a few minutes, right now, to think about what really excites YOU about your business. What are your very favorite strong points? What makes you happy and proud when you say it? Pick several. Now, think about having multiple elevator speeches centering around these things. You can select just one or two key points to mention for each "speech." Remember, elevator speeches aren't about detailing your full range of services and/or products; they're about starting a dialogue.

Once you're comfortable with what you have to offer, and you have several options to choose from, you can tailor what you say to where you are, who you're talking to, and your most impressive accomplishments right at that moment. You'll never again get caught groping for an answer when someone says "And what do you do?"

It is as honorable to sell as it is to buy

So, my beloved big sister just told me that she's doing direct sales these days. Actually, she's been doing it for months, but didn't want to tell me. It amazes me how often this is true. In my coaching practice, I meet many direct sales folks, and I love working with them. Every industry - from janitors to pastors - has its sharks, but the direct sales representatives I know and work with are motivated by the desire to help others while living the life of their dreams. Who can argue with that? The difficulty arises when they decide that they must focus on the sale, rather than their genuine caring for the client, because they don't know how to communicate both at the same time. That's easily fixed!

The next time you catch yourself saying "I hate salesmen," or "I'm no salesman," stop and think about why that is. No matter what your initial thoughts on the subject are, I guarantee that the basic underlying principle is a concern that they don't care about you as a person, just your money. And for 9 out of 10 salespeople, nothing could be farther from the truth.

We must all sell at one point or another in our lives. Let's learn to do it compassionately, with skill and confidence, so that life is better for us AND for our clients!