30 Seconds To Success
Caught your eye with that headline, didn’t I? We all love the quick fix. Do as little work as possible to be successful. Sadly, we all have to do the work. Even the overnight successful Instagrammer does the work. They plan, choreograph, shoot, edit, and post. Each time they do this, they learn and refine their posts to get better and better.
You can do this with your own “30-Second Elevator Pitch.” When you take the time to plan, choreograph, and refine your 30-second pitch, you too will become an overnight success (it just may be a few more overnights than expected).
As a Master Networker, I am still working on my elevator pitch. You might be thinking, “But Jan, you’ve been doing this for a long time, why don’t you have it down?”
I do have some pitches down, but others I continue to refine. It’s like a game, to see which one resonates the best! I also have different introductions for different people or groups.
Here are some tips to get you started:
While developing a pitch, remember it’s about what you can do for them.
It’s a little bit about you too, and what you want to get out of the meeting or event.
Write your pitch out, including:
Your name
What you do
How you can help
After you have the basics, you can then begin having fun with your pitch by starting with a question, or omitting your professional title yet creatively explaining what you do. My favorite question is “Who do you want to be connected to?” It’s a great way to begin a fun discussion.
Practice. At home, at the event, with colleagues. Each time you practice, you will get better. Most importantly you will learn how to read the room in order to use the best pitch for the situation.
Steal Like An Artist. Pay attention to how others introduce themselves, and steal the best parts to incorporate them into your next intro.
There are many articles on how to create a great pitch. Here are a few to check out:
The 30 seconds that took you a few hours to prepare and polish will make you an overnight success. It will also ease your anxiety about networking, because you’ll know you are prepared.
