Andrew Winig, blog article, consistent pitching, elevator pitch

Tonight’s easy. It’s Taco Tuesday. But it didn’t used to be… I used to start planning dinner at 5:23 pm. Dinner was always on the table by 6, and then the arguments started: “We had hot dogs yesterday” “I don’t eat pizza anymore” “I asked for grilled cheese. WHERE’S MY GRILLED CHEESE?????” Making a weekly menu always seemed like an obvious answer, but I resisted doing that for years. I always thought it was the improvisational actor in me – “I’m better off just making it up on the fly!” But, now that we finally follow a menu, I realize that my resistance had nothing at all to do with improv. It had everything to do with the thought of coming up with 21 meal ideas every Sunday night. That’s a rough way to end the weekend! No wonder I preferred one meal at a time. But, with one meal at a time, I was becoming a short order cook. Not sustainable. The solution was so simple that I ignored it the first three times our nutritionist suggested it. Use the same menu every week. That sounded like a recipe for disaster. It had all the ingredients of a terrible idea. I didn’t want to get mixed up with it at all. But – against my better judgement I sat down one Tuesday in July with my kids and a sheet of paper with 35 squares (yes, it was worse than I thought. Somehow we’ve trained our kids to expect three meals plus two snacks every day…). Five months later we are still using that exact same menu. And everyone (including me) loves it! Pasta night can be spaghetti and meatballs, or lasagna, or tortellini. Cheeseburger night can include hot dogs or be replaced by meatloaf or chili. Taco Tuesday and Chocolate Chip Pancake Sunday are the stand-out favorites – no modifications allowed. Ever. Believe me. The November waffle incident never happened. Never. ah ah ah. NEVER HAPPENED. It’s easier to shop, we always have the ingredients we need, the end of the day is stress free, and – here’s what really surprised me – my kids prefer it. In fact, they look forward to it and delight in knowing the schedule. In the middle of asking “What’s for dinner,” they look at each other and start jumping up and down excitedly “Taco Tuesday!” And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch. Because you don’t need (or want) a new pitch for every event. That’s why business networking can seem overwhelming – all that preparation. Prepare your Elevator Pitch once and use it time after time after time after time… Good things happen when you use the same Elevator Pitch every time! There’s no prep and no stress. You know what you’re going to say and you know how people will respond.People start to recognize you (and look forward to seeing you!)Consistency breeds confidence which lends credibility to your expertise But it gets boring when people use the same Elevator Pitch every week That’s because they have a boring Elevator Pitch. Instead share a recent client success. That’s fun to talk about which makes it more engaging and encourages people to bring you leads that are like your best clients. And remember: there are new people at events and group meetings all the time. Everyone has not heard your Elevator Pitch before, and those that have heard it probably won’t remember it until they’ve heard it several times. And it’s only after hearing it several times that’s they’ll be confident enough to send you referrals. Giving an Elevator Pitch once is cold calling. Using it many times is business networking. In my group I’m supposed to mix it up… If you want to mix it up you can share a different client success. Just don’t change how you talk about the group of people you work with and the problem you solve. I do so many things. How can I come up with an Elevator Pitch that covers everything? You can’t. And you don’t want to. Your Elevator Pitch starts the conversation. As yourself what people usually buy from you first. Talk about that in your Elevator Pitch. As you get to know people better, they’ll start to understand the variety of programs you offer. I never recommend cutting down on the products and services you offer. I highly recommend that your Elevator Pitch focus on the product or service that starts the best and most productive business conversations. How consistent it your Elevator Pitch? View original post: https://improvandy.com/elevator-pitch/consistent-pitching/

Andrew Winig, be memorable, blog article, elevator pitch

I learned more about the people sitting around the table that day than I had in the previous three years of twice a month listening to their 30-Second Elevator Pitch. That day was the beginning of the end of cold call selling for me. That day cemented some relationships that still generate profitable referrals more than a decade after that networking group disbanded. That day was the birth of the Elevator Pitch Coach. Because that day intrigued me. It wormed its way deep into my soul. That’s the day I realized I had been doing it all wrong — Three years had passed, and, despite dutifully attending every meeting, I had never understood …what specific problems anyone solved for their clients …who their clients were …what a good referral looked like – for them or for me That day was like adding rocket fuel to our group. Once we understood the specific problems people solved, and the specific people they solved them for, referrals started flowing. We looked forward to the meetings. We talked to each other outside the meetings. We called each other for advice. We introduced each other to other people who were a good fit. And… the craziest thing is, many of those people are still my friends and referral partners more than a decade later. All from a simple change in how we described what we do. The technique is simple to explain: Describe a recent client success This is the single best change you can make to your Elevator Pitch. The next time you stand up to introduce yourself at your networking group meeting, say “I’d like to share a recent client success,” then spend a few sentences talking about how you met them, why they needed you, and how you delighted them with the solution to their problem. The hard part is – saying it clearly and concisely in just a few sentences. Here’s an example Elevator Pitch: I was working with a startup VC firm who was keeping track of their investors, investments, partner compensation and bonuses on a bunch of spreadsheets. I created an integrated portfolio management solution that streamlined their work flow so everyone was working from the same data. This reduced redundant work, reduced data errors, and provided consistently accurate information to run their business. Here’s another example of an Elevator Speech: I was working on a strategic plan with a new head of sales at a large health insurance provider.We hired a Chief Marketing Officer to help shift from account focused marketing to a balance between accounts and consumers. Here’s the chaos part. After a few months we had to hire back up the marketing management team and then get another Chief Marketing Officer on board.Within a year, the new team ran an exciting consumer promotion around the blue bikes, and the satisfaction scores on the team jumped from 78% to 92%. One more Elevator Pitch example? Sure! A corporate tax lawyer attended my LinkedIn Workshop because he wanted to attract more customers through social media. By the end of the program he had optimized his LinkedIn profile, created a LinkedIn company page, set up his Twitter account, and learned how to use them effectively. He then promoted his tax update event on social media and doubled the usual number of CPA’s who attended. The best part is, sharing a specific client success story is the simplest way to train other people to spot good referrals for you. Asking for referrals is awkward – for you and for them. Talking about a specific client success inspires people to call you when they spot someone who is like your best client. Anyone out there want more referrals that are more like their best clients? Then talk about your best clients. That’s how to be memorable – and get better referrals – no soul searching required.View original post: https://improvandy.com/elevator-pitch/be-memorable-no-soul-searching-required/

Andrew Winig, blog article, Networking, Tips

“No one works during the summer” “I’ve had terrible attendance at my networking group” “No one is returning my calls” That’s why summer is the best time for networking! 1. Go With Who Shows Yes, attendance will be down at your networking groups. This is a huge opportunity! Instead of wasting 15 minutes complaining about who isn’t there, … connect with the people who are there. If attendance is very light, split people into pairs and have them do their coffee meeting during the second half of the larger meeting. Some of my best networking results have come from the smallest networking group meetings. That’s when you really get a chance to get to know each other! 2. Drink More Coffee Yes, even if you don’t like coffee. Look, it’s not about what you drink – tea, seltzer, orange juice, even water will work just as well. It’s about the conversations you start while you’re having that drink. Those people who show up to the meeting… schedule a coffee meeting with them. They are around and have time to network. Click here for our step-by-step guide to coffee meetings Many people are on vacation, but most aren’t. And the ones that aren’t have extra time during the summer so it’s a great time to reach out. 3. Hunker Down Have you been meaning to …update your website…refresh your Elevator Pitch…write a book…create a new program or presentation August is the best time to do that kind of work! That project you’ve been meaning to get to… Turn off your phone and get to it! Happy Networking! View original post: https://improvandy.com/elevator-pitch/summer-networking-tips/

Andrew Winig, blog article

He must have sensed my panic, because the proprietor of our local 7-11 stands up from his chair behind the counter and walks over to point me in the direction of the nail polish remover. “Anything else?” he asks absentmindedly as he scans the bottle. “No,” I smile. “I’m on a mission to solve a very specific crisis.” A wistful expression flickers across his face, and unfortunately I miss the opportunity to ask what nail polish story he’s remembering. I’m certain it would have been worth hearing. “I get it,” he confides. “I’ve got three sisters, four daughters and seven nieces.” He hands me my change and flashes a kindly smile. “Good luck.” And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch. Because people ask you throw-away questions all day long. “How’s it going?” “What do you do?” “Anything else?” People who mumble a canned response miss every opportunity to start a conversation. They also miss every opportunity to make a human connection. Making human connections is a good skill to have, whether you’re at a networking event, standing in line at the grocery store, attending a little league game, or running a quick errand at your local 7-11. Connections lead to conversations. Conversations lead to opportunities. So this week, in response to a throw-away question, instead of mindlessly trotting out your usual canned response, share one specific thing about you. Most people will look momentarily confused, or laugh awkwardly, or ignore you. Do it anyway. Because you will connect with some people – and those will be good connections. What’s the best connection you’ve made in the past week? View original post: https://improvandy.com/elevator-pitch/anything-else/

Andrew Winig, BLOG, elevator pitch, trigger

My client makes an offhand comment and I blurt out: “Liquid Web!” What? No, I’m not developing a nervous tic or anything – not yet, anyway… What happened is a great example of an Elevator Pitch Trigger. Here’s the background: I listen to a podcast called ECommerceFuel. One of their advertisers is a web hosting company called Liquid Web. And… here’s the key – Liquid Web advertises themselves as perfect for hosting WooCommerce sites. So when my client mentions that she needs a hosting company for her WooCommerce site, I involuntarily blurt out “Liquid Web!” Even though I have no idea what WooCommerce is. And I know even less about Liquid Web. Hold on though – it gets better. Now I’m curious, so I head over to Liquid Web to see what they’re all about… …and I can’t find any mention of WooCommerce. Go ahead. Head on over to Liquid Web and see for yourself. I’ll wait… Do you see where they mention WooCommerce? Got it? How about now? Hint: They do mention it, and the mention is above the fold It turns out that Liquid Web is a general purpose hosting company. They’ll host any sort of website. But… that’s not the way they market themselves. By marketing themselves as “web hosting for WooCommerce” they got me to recommend them even though I have never heard of them or the platform. That’s a great Elevator Pitch Trigger! When I hear WooCommerce – I think Liquid Web. They are fully committed to their messaging. They never mention WordPress, or Server Clusters, or HIPAA compliance, or any of their other products. Every podcast it’s “web hosting for WooCommerce.” An Elevator Pitch Trigger won’t work if you keep changing it. So pick an Elevator Pitch Trigger and stick to it. What Elevator Pitch Trigger makes people think of you? View Original Post: https://improvandy.com/elevator-pitch/elevator-pitch-trigger/