Are you ever in the situation where you are introducing yourself and your business and don't know quite what to say? Here are 3 important tips for establishing your expertise and impressing your potential client.
1. Develop a killer "elevator speech". You may have heard this phrase before; it's a standard response of one or two sentences that quickly summarizes the essence of your business or service, identifies your target audience, and the benefits customers might expect. Let's say for example you train real estate agents to successfully get new clients and property listings. You might say something like "I teach residential real estate agents to increase their new client base and property listings by 20% within 30 days." Or if you were a life-coach specializing in balancing work and home life you might say "I teach busy professionals how to balance work and home life to make them 10% more productive on the job and 100% happier at home." There are several important factors in your elevator speech.
First you need to be able to describe what you do in a few words, not an entire paragraph. Second you need to communicate exactly who your target market is. In the first example we targeted residential real estate agents, ruling out commercial agents. Third you need to deal with what I call the "so what" factor. The so what factor highlights the impact of your services. In the case of the real estate agent listings increased 20% within 30 days. Make sure that your elevator speech is quick, informative, and definitely has a "so what" factor.
2. Make sure you can describe what you do in the language of your listener. Recently I was on a call with a solo-entrepreneur who had a fascinating niche consulting service. Unfortunately when asked what services her business provided her answer was so full of politically correct words and generally vague statements that I actually have no idea what she said. When asked a second time she spouted another sentence full of fluff and puff and I was just as confused as before. I had no idea what her services actually were, who her target client was, and what the benefit of her services might be. She went on to develop a quick sentence that described "in laymen's terms" what her business was all about, who would want to hire her, and what benefit they could expect to their business. Once she got rid of the fluff and puff, stopped using jargon only used by those in her field, and started using words that her potential customers would use to describe their needs, she was off and running.
It's so tempting to use words that you think sound impressive, but your target client won't be impressed if they can't understand what you're saying. Make certain that you're using the language your customer would use in order to better communicate your business and services.
3.Remember to listen, listen, respond. An important aspect of interviewing communications is the ability to really listen to what's being said, to listen to what's being communicated without being said, and only then respond. All too often people do not really listen at all, or listen to just part of the message, and then rush to respond. Make sure you stop and take the time to actively listen. Consider the motivation or concerns behind what they've said. Then if you need to, ask a few questions before you fully respond. Don't have a fast-food conversation where you respond before their comments or questions have a chance to develop any real meaning. I know you are eager to get your information out there and impress the client. But take the time to listen, listen, and respond. The payoff will be worth the effort!
By following these easy interviewing communications techniques you'll be on the way to business success!
Valerie Hayes is one of the country's most sought after interviewing communications experts. She teaches small business owners, coaches, consultants, and solo-entrepreneurs to use interviewing communications skills and techniques to better market themselves and their businesses. She has been featured several times on national television as an interviewing communications expert. Please visit her website at http://www.HayesSuccess.com
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