Have you ever been in a networking situation or making polite conversation and somebody asks you,…”So, what is it that you do?”
Let’s be honest you get flustered, don’t you? Although you knew it was coming you still lose composure. You forget that perfect combination of words that describe exactly what it is that you do.
Even more, embarrassing you might get confused and try too hard to also convey who you are at the same time.
I’m sure you’ve heard of an ‘elevator pitch’ before. It’s the idea that if you were stuck in an elevator and asked that question: “So, what do you do?”, you’d be able to confidently answer in as few words as possible. You’d tell them what you do and how you help your ideal customer.
Think about it! It’s actually not as easy as it sounds or is it?
Guru’s have made a living out of teaching others the art of perfecting the perfect elevator pitch. When you distil all this down it turns out that the key to the perfect elevator pitch often comes down to one word. Practice!
With an elevator pitch (or any pitch for that matter), making sure that you are comfortable with what you are saying makes all the difference to the message you are trying to convey. Practice does indeed make perfect – or nearly perfect. Your elevator pitch may change and evolve over time.
Your ‘Elevator Pitch’ or even a ‘Mission Statement’ (although slightly different things) share many similarities. It needs to be easy for you to understand and internalise to such a degree that it’s natural for you to say it and for others to hear it.
Tip:
- Make it short
- Make it to the point
- Make it easy to digest
- Make it the truth
If it’s succinct and second nature to you to say, it’ll sound better and entice people to want to find out more about you.
When was the last time you were asked the question? What did you say? Did you sound confident or did you make a mess of it?