You Can't Make Sales
During the Holidays
Which makes it a great time to network.
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But how and when is it ok to talk about work at social gatherings?
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What can you do instead of sending a generic "Nice to meet you!" email that no one reads anyway?
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How do you stop working so hard to "find the right people" and instead get them to come find you?
From Bland to Bam!
Elevator Speech for a Financial Advisor
Before: “I help businessmen and corporate employees manage and build their wealth and investments.”
Yawn.
That describes every financial person I’ve ever met.
And there are two issues.
First, any time you say “and” in an Elevator Pitch, people just tune out.
If you stand for one thing, they know how and when to approach you.
If you stand for more than one, then they're not sure what you want, so they won't approach you at all.
Never say “and” in your Elevator Pitch.
You have to pick one.
Second, nobody is really looking to build their wealth.
I mean, that’s not what families sit around talking about.
“Hey honey, let’s spend this weekend building our wealth!”
Nope.
They’re worried about educating their kids.
Or affording their next family vacation.
Or some other specific thing they need money for.
After: “I help high-salaried employees fund their kids’ education.”
Elevator Pitch Example for a French Teacher
Before: “I teach young professionals how to speak French”
This actually is a good start.
The problem is that it’s not what she really wants to do.
And it doesn’t do justice to her much deeper level of expertise.
See, she has lived and worked at Director level positions in France, Switzerland, and England.
She has inside information on how to negotiate with people in all those cultures.
Inside information on how work gets done over there.
So yes, teaching the language is part of it.
The bigger value she offers is with strategy.
After: “I help US companies introduce products in France.”
Elevator Pitch for a Hospital Administrator
Before: I give patients a better experience
Vague.
Very vague.
Very very vague.
What kind of patients?
Out-patients?
Trauma patients?
Dental patients?
Just to name a few…
And what sort of experience?
Faster healing time?
Shorter wait times?
More affordable care?
You can probably think of many more.
So we focused on a particular project she had worked on as a hospital administrator.
The Elevator Pitch now speaks for itself...
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