The Right Way to Wing It

Your turn! All eyes are on you! Quick!

What do you do?

Any time you attend a networking event, you’re on the spot to

• catch their attention
• spark their interest
• inspire them to contact you

That’s a lot of pressure!

Well, no. Not when you already know:

1. The only 2 questions you’ll ever be asked
2. How to differentiate yourself using what you already have

You see,

Preparation Creates Spontaneity

How do you prepare to be spontaneous?

Practice the skills.

The ballplayer doesn’t know ahead of time where the ball will go.

He practices running, fielding, and throwing.

Until it’s automatic.

He reacts to the unexpected.

He’s winging it in that moment.

Based on thousands of hours of preparation.

Elevator Pitch Tip: You already have those thousands of hours of preparation.

You work with your customers.

Daily.

Addressing their challenges.

That’s your differentiator

You just want to talk about it naturally and automatically in any business networking situation.

Here are 3 skills to prepare for Elevator Pitch spontaneity:

1. Use Customer Details

You’ve probably spent hours trying to come up with a general way to describe what you do for all your clients.

That’s the standard approach.

And it’s backwards.

Happy customers are your best differentiator.

Don’t dilute them into generalities!

Talk about the details of a particular customer.

Use specifics about how they found you, and how you help them solve their challenges.

It’s easier than trying to generalize.

It’s also more fun.

And more engaging.

And starts more conversations that lead to more leads.

Wing-it Tip #1: Use a specific example of a happy customer

2. Practice Out Loud

All of business networking comes down to answering just 2 questions.

That’s easy to prepare for!

The first question: “What do you do?” calls for a Conversational Elevator Pitch to start a conversation.

The second question: “Take 30 seconds to introduce yourself to the crowd” calls for a Formal Elevator Pitch to generate leads.

Both opportunities hinge on a specific example of a happy customer.

So practice talking about your customers!

1. Buy a digital voice recorder
2. Practice your specific customer examples out loud into the digital voice recorder
3. Listen and adjust until you are happy with what you’re saying.

Wing-it Tip #2: Practice out loud into a digital voice recorder

3. Be Conversational

“What do you do?” is not an opening for you to give your 30-second elevator pitch.

That’s why people’s eyes glaze over.

They haven’t asked for the details yet.

When someone asks “What do you do” answer with one phrase, such as:

“I help people test drive their new homes.”

“I design shower enclosures, sinks, and backsplashes made entirely of glass.”

“I help people get more leads from their elevator pitch.”

Then, when they ask for more information, you can use a specific example of a happy customer that you so carefully practiced in tip #2.

Note: If someone doesn’t ask for more details, they weren’t interested in a conversation anyway…

Wing-it Tip #3: Get permission before sharing details

How do you get your prospect’s attention?