Going Up?
[by Judy Herrmann]
In a bad economy, helping people understand exactly what you do, why they should trust you and how you can help them matters more than ever. So take a few minutes to hone one of the most important (and cheapest) marketing tools there is: Your Elevator Speech.
Laura Allen, co-founder of 15secondpitch.com, recommends that every pitch contain 4 elements:
1) Your Name
A no-brainer but one that flies out the window when people get flustered. So remember the “Hello, my name isŠ” even if you’re wearing one of those dorky badges.
2) What you actually do
A lot of marketers recommend things like “I make people’s dreams come true” as conversation starters. Me, I’m gagging just typing it and there’s no way I’m gonna talk like that. Allen kind of won my heart when she advised making it easy for people to categorize your services. You really can just say what you do. Yay!
3) What you do better than anyone else
I like this a lot. I know some of you are thinking “Ugh, I really don’t like to brag!” and I’m with you. So speak authentically about how much you love helping someone who’s really uncomfortable being photographed relax. Or how exciting it is to take some ordinary scene and make it magical. Or how thrilled you are to see businesses (or non-profits) grow because of your photographs. That’s not bragging; that’s starting a conversation!
4) A call to action
At first I thought, “Ugh – I have to include some kind of cheesy ‘just $9.99 buy now’ sales pitch???” But then I realized that this just means being clear about what you want to get out of the relationship you’re building. A student at my Maine Media Workshop last week told us about a realtor she met who said quite clearly his ideal prospects are first-time home buyers and then asked “Who do you need to meet?” Wow, how smart is that? Months later, when friends were looking for their first home, you can guess who immediately came to mind.
Remember everyone you meet – think six degrees of separation – is or knows someone who you can help or who can help you. Drafting a collection of key phrases and practicing ’til you can say them without hesitation can help connect those dots.
Photographer, educator and consultant, Judy Herrmann, helps student, emerging and established photographers build creatively and financially rewarding businesses. She recently taught a workshop at Maine Media.
One Response to 'Going Up?'
Subscribe to comments with RSS or TrackBack to 'Going Up?'.
Judy – An excellent post on a very basic yet often over-looked business tool. Thank you!