Spotlight's on you

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Are you ready to speak up?

By: LaTasha West

If you are networking for business as you should be, there will come a time when you are in a room of unfamiliar faces. This can be daunting or it can be exhilarating! No matter how it feels that moment is a pivotal moment.

As an entrepreneur we need to get the word out about who we are and what we do, especially when we are just starting out.  This is the whole reason that you attend networking events right; to see and to be seen.  Great, but are you ready if the spotlight shines on you?

Many times you will have opportunities to talk about your business by introducing yourself to the people in the room. Did you know there is an art to the introduction?  

What to say and when.  The first thing you want to do when networking is to “see”, spend a few minutes checking out the room (Sometimes you can do this before you arrive, with the help of social media.We’ll talk more about another time). As you notice who is there make a list or mental note of who you want to connect with.  If you are a women’s business coach like myself, you’ll probably want to connect with women in business, if  you are selling medical supplies, you may want to connect with any doctors in the room. Make sense? Be strategic.

Now that you know who you want to talk to, what do you say? This is your moment, possibly the only chance that you will have to get in front of this audience you must make it count! Are you ready?

Here’s when a good elevator speech or 30 second speech comes in handy. If you don’t have an elevator speech use the tips below and create yours.

This is the basic layout for an elevator/30 second speech.

I (verb) (target audience)(what I do) (benefit)

Your pitch must also be intriguing and move potential clients to action.

Example:

Tiffany the event planners 30 second pitch may look like this:

Hello my name is Tiffany; I make clients dreams come true by creating memorable weddings and other events.  Is there a milestone event that I can make memorable for you?

Tiffany started off with a bold attention grabbing statement, she explained what she did then she offered to help, all in 30 seconds or less.  A simple well-crafted elevator pitch can lead to make some great connections. Have your pitch ready!

Go ahead give it a try. If you are not sure about your pitch I’d love to help. Click here to shoot me an email with your pitch and I will offer tips and advice to help make your pitch great!