So, what’s an
What Is It?
An
So, who better than you to describe with passion, precision and persuasiveness what you do? A great
And if you want to network successfully, you need an
How to Prepare an
Now for a short course in preparing your
First, and most important, think in terms of the benefits your clients or customers derive from your services. Trust me, no one is going to be riveted if you say:
“Hi, my name is Stanley Manly, and I’m a public relations executive with twenty years of experience.”
Or:
“Hi, I’m Sally Hopeful, and I’m an executive recruiter.
Two big yawns.
What’s In It for Me?
Do you recall that old radio station, WII-FM: What’s In It For Me?!
If you remember that people are always more interested in how you can help them, you’re on the right track. Keep that top of mind when composing your speech.
Here’s how to improve the two examples mentioned above:
“Hi, my name is Stanley Manly, and I help inventors tell the world about their inventions.”
“Hi, I’m Sally Hopeful. I partner with companies that need to find talented people to help their business growth and become more profitable.”
Now, you’ve got my attention!
Let’s use my
Here’s my before version (and I wondered why people looked at me with a frozen smile!):
“Hi, I’m Dale Kurow, and I’m a career and executive coach. I hold a Master’s Degree in Career Counseling and have been trained by a master level coach. (Who cares!) I’ve been an HR director for a multinational cosmetic company, run a PR agency and taught college-level business courses. (So what!) I believe that coaching can be the catalyst to change your life. (Are you asleep yet?)
See how that was all about me, me, me?
Now for the revised version:
“Hi, I’m Dale Kurow, and I help people become more successful at their work. For example, I’ve helped a client change jobs with a 40% salary increase, I’ve helped a client develop the skills to deal with a difficult boss, and I’ve helped a manager devise new ways to keep her staff motivated.”
Here are a few more examples:
I know an Avon representative who says:
“I help women look beautiful.”
Or a business coach that says:
“I help you get more clients than you know what to do with.”
And here’s my favorite, one that is used by an IRS agent:
“I’m a government fund-raiser.”
Action Steps
So, here’s what you need to do to craft your
First, write down the “deliverables” — the services or features that you provide. Then, think in terms of the benefits that your clients or employer could derive from these services. You could use several successful client outcomes, as I did.
Once you’ve got that written, create an opening sentence that will grab the listener’s attention, as our Avon representative did above. The best openers leave the listener wanting more information. And you do not have to include your title, especially if you think it has a negative connotation (an IRS agent, for example).
Finally, your