How To Make An Impact And Leave People Wanting More
"The Perfect Elevator Pitch...6 Tips for Perfecting Your Elevator Pitch...The Key Components of a Powerful Elevator Pitch..."
You've seen the headlines. You know it’s in your best interest to have a short "pitch" ready in case you bump into someone with influence in the elevator, i.e. situation for a short introduction chat.
“Jein” as the Germans say ("ja" + "nein").
Yes, it’s a good idea to have a so-called “elevator pitch” ready for such a chance encounter. However, it’s more important to take the time to articulate what you do (+ why you do it) when meeting the other 99%.
This post shows you how to make a positive impact on people and trigger their curiosity by making an "authentic elevator pitch" - a key step in mastering the art of networking.
“Building a strong external and internal network is a MUST-HAVE leadership skill. So do it with a ‘human touch’.”
3 Reasons To Make An Impact
1. Positive First Impression
When you tell people what you do, they get a confident and positive picture of you, i.e. good first impression. It also shows that you care about your work – something that inspires people.
2. Value Exchange
By taking the time (& energy) to share with others, it shows that you value their opinion. This creates positive energy for the interaction - after all, you have no idea what possible positive outcome may result.
3. Network Effect
You extend your services to them but also to their network - there's no better advertising than old-fashioned "word of mouth".
3 Ways To Make An Impact
As established, it's important to take the time and energy to tell people what you do and why you do it. Just as important is how you do it.
“If you start to act strategically in your human interactions, others will feel it. If you're strategic about what you share and with whom, you'll make a bad impression on everyone within earshot.”
So how can you say what you do without coming across as salesy or work obsessed?
Easy. Be authentic, i.e. yourself. You don’t need a script for that!
Here are 3 human strategies to help you do this:
1. Keep It Simple.
“Well, it’s kind of hard to explain…you wouldn’t be interested…it’s kind of complicated…”
Have you ever said something like this?
I have. And there was no excuse for my laziness.
Here's the thing - People are overloaded enough, nobody wants a step-by-step handbook. Besides, if they want to know more, they’ll ask.
Which one of the job descriptions is likely to get a follow-up question?
“I’m a 5th grade science teacher.” vs. “I teach 10 year-olds about science and nature.”
The second one. It's active and descriptive.
PRO TIP: Use active verbs to describe what you do.
2. Speak from the Heart.
Nothing makes more impact than real excitement. If you talk about what you do with passion, others will feel it. If you don't, they’ll feel it too.
“So if you want to make a positive impact on someone, you don’t need to convince them to like what you do. Just that you like it.”
Positive energy is motivating and contagious. Negative energy is demotivating and toxic.
PRO TIP: If you’re not excited about your current job, talk about something that does excite you.
3. Lead with the Benefits.
Who do you help?
Why does it matter to you?
What does it look like?
How you help others and make a positive difference in the world inspires others. So lead with this.
It doesn’t matter if they can personally benefit from what you do. But they might know someone who could, or remember you when they have a future need.
Again, don’t worry about choosing the right benefits to highlight – say which ones are meaningful to you.
Coming back to our 5th grade science teacher, here’s an active description s/he could use:
“I help kids develop a basic understanding of the world around them. A lot of 10 year olds don’t know why a bee flies from flower to flower, for example. By recognizing the beauty and purpose of nature I hope they develop a desire to live in harmony with it”.
You could do the same for a financial planner who helps people understand the importance of investing so they feel secure about their future.
PRO TIP: As jobs are harder to describe than others, you might need to .
Leave People Wanting More
Nothing is more powerful than authenticity. If you speak from the heart, others will hear and feel what you say.
If you don't, they might hear your words but they won’t feel them.
Approach your human interactions with this mindset and everything else will take care of itself.
Remember, if you want to make a good first impression, take the time to tell everyone what you do and why you do it.
It’s easy. Tell, don’t sell.
In addition to the positive impact from a personalized pitch, you'll make people want to know more about you.
To learn how Coaching For Peak Performance could help you master networking, book your FREE Discovery Call.