Posts Tagged ‘online brand’

Every week as @SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat.  The show takes place every Wed on Twitter from 8-9pm ET.  This is excerpted from my recent interview with Barbara Lopez @Brightfarm who is President of Brightfarm Introductions.  Her company originally started out as a video production company specializing in writing :30-second and :60-second commercials. In 2008, she turned her process for writing videos into a simple process for creating elevator pitches.  For more details www.brightfarm.com.

Smallbizlady:  What is an elevator pitch?

Barbara Lopez: It is your verbal commercial.  Usually 30 to 60-seconds.   It’s designed to effectively answer the question, “What do you do?”.  The term was coined years ago as a business term.  It originated as the time it takes someone to ride an elevator and “pitch” what it is that you do to someone else.  Other common terms are elevator speech or networking commercial.  Nowadays, there are MULTIPLE places to use an elevator pitch, not JUST in an elevator. Obviously it’s used mostly in networking situations.  But really, your elevator pitch is the VERBAL commercial that you’re going to use about yourself every single day, which you’re going to share with every single person you meet.

Smallbizlady:  Who needs an elevator pitch?

Barbara Lopez: I truly believe that EVERYONE needs an elevator pitch.  Think about how often we’re all asked, “What do you do?.”  It’s a very common question, especially in social situations.  People ask that question because it’s a good way to get to know someone. It’s a safe place to start a conversation.  In that case, I think everyone needs one.

Smallbizlady: Why is it so important to have an elevator pitch?

Barbara Lopez: It’s crucial for business owners, entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to promote their business and career to have an elevator pitch.  After all, “when your mouth is OPEN, so is your business.”  “And when your mouth is CLOSED, so is your business.”  That means, if we want people to know that we’re open for business, we need to TELL them.  We can’t just assume that people know that we are. An elevator pitch is the perfect tool to do just that.  Everything in business STARTS with a bright introduction.  It’s your verbal commercial that you use in introducing yourself to every new person you meet. It could be in a professional networking situation.  Or in line at the grocery store or post office.  Or at a social event.  You never know when you might be talking to your next customer.

Smallbizlady:  What are the key benefits of having an elevator pitch?

Barbara Lopez: It gives us an opportunity to start out with a GREAT first impression when meeting someone new.  Has this ever happened to you?  Someone asks, “What do you do?” And your mind just goes…..blank?  Having an elevator pitch saves us from those types of awkward or embarrassing situations.

When we have a polished and professional elevator pitch, we also set ourselves apart from our competition in a BIG way.  It’s one thing just to say, “I’m a realtor”.  But it’s more important to tell more to engage conversation.  Being able to clearly and concisely describe what we do allows us to show that we are truly professional.  We’re not fly-by-night business people, but that we can easily explain what we do.  We can get the other person’s attention MUCH easier. We are respecting their time by being concise.  It’s a conversation starter.

Smallbizlady:  What are some common mistakes professionals have toward elevator pitches?

Barbara Lopez: Not knowing what to say. Resulting in “flying by the seat of their pants”.  Which is never the best impression. Also, thinking they have to list everything that they have to offer.  That’s not the best thing to do, because it can be overwhelming.  Some people also get anxious when it comes to pitching to entire groups at once.  Speaking to a group in a round-robin scenario is basically public speaking.  And that can add a lot more pressure or anxiety.

Smallbizlady:  What are some goals people should strive for when it comes to their elevator pitch?

Barbara Lopez: It’s best to keep these four in mind:  1)  Be clear and concise.  People want to know what you do in the shortest amount of time possible.  2)  Make a great first impression.  Deliver it well, so that the person continues the conversation.  3)  Stand apart from your competition.  Don’t just be pegged as someone in your industry.  Be the best in your industry.  4)  Attract them to want to know more.  Again, it’s just a conversation opener, so have a call to action to move the conversation forward.

Smallbizlady:  What are the critical components of an effective elevator pitch?

Barbara Lopez:  It basically boils down to 4 key points that other people WANT to know about you.  1)  What problem or pain point you solve for people.  2)  How you solve it.  3)  Why you’re different from your competition.  4)  How they can learn more about you and/or your service or product right away.

Smallbizlady:  Is it really that simple?

Barbara Lopez: Yes.  The key is to focus the elevator pitch on YOU and not so much on  your company/product/or service.  You want to position yourself as the expert or specialist when it comes to the problem you solve.  In networking, people want to connect with people, not businesses.  So it’s important to introduce yourself as the person to go to when they have that problem.  Or when someone else has that problem.

Smallbizlady: Where are some places professionals can use their elevator pitch?

Barbara Lopez:  Most people think it’s strictly for networking.  But there are so many other places you can use it.  Especially since it’s such a concise message about what you do and offer.  You can use the whole elevator pitch or even just parts of it in other areas of your marketing.  The back of your business card is great.  That way you’re sending people off with your pitch after they’ve just met you.  On your outgoing voicemail message.  That builds confidence when people call, to know you’re going to help with that specific problem.  On your website – especially your About page.  In your social media profiles.  As a starter for a sales letter or introductory email.

Smallbizlady:  What is the biggest piece of advice you can give professionals who don’t have an elevator pitch?

Barbara Lopez: Be prepared.  Take some time to focus on at least a 30-second elevator pitch.  You’ll feel much more comfortable and confident at networking functions.  And in your daily travels.  It can make a huge difference in the first impressions you’re making.  After all, you never know when you might be speaking to your very next customer.

Melinda Emerson, known to many as “SmallBizLady,” is a Veteran Entrepreneur, Small Business Coach and Social Media Strategist who hosts #SmallBizChat weekly on Twitter for emerging entrepreneurs.  Her first book Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months is out in March 2010.

In business, reading is fundamental. It is crucial to help you grow your expertise as a business leader.  One of my favorite things to do is read books about small business best practices, social media and leadership.  Here’s a list of best books that I think will have a major impact on your business strategy heading into 2010.  Later this week, I’ll have five more of my favorite books to share.

Small Business Cash Flow: Strategies for Making Your Business a Financial Success  by Denise O’Berry (J. Wiley & Sons, 2006)  The best thing you can do for your business is understand how much profit is in every sale and stay cash flow positive. Denise O’Berry writes a terrific book that explains the ins and outs of financial management in a successful small business. The book does a good job of pointing out how a small business owner can stay on top of the cash flow issue in running her business.  This is an incredible resource book that I highly recommend.

Get Known Before the Book Deal by Christina Katz (Writer Digest Books, 2008) It is not often I read a book that truly enlightening from cover to cover. On a scale of 1-5, Get Known Before the Book Deal is a 10! If you want to know what it takes to get a book deal, Christina Katz gives a very specific recipe, but this book is not just helpful to people who want to be authors.  This book is for anyone who needs to build a marketing platform and a brand for their expertise.  This book changed my entire business model and my brand. I could not recommend this book more highly.

Customers For Life: How To Turn That One-Time Buyer Into a Lifetime Customer by Carl Sewell and Paul B. Brown (Doubleday, 2002)  This is a must read for every business owner.  None of the ideas in this book are ground breaking, but the authors do a great job of explaining how they translate into loyal customers for your business. This book will help you create systems in your business to avoid customer service problems in the first place. This book was originally published in 1998 and has been updated three times since, selling over 1 million copies worldwide. Every business owner should have this book, and I’d also recommend buying copies for all your employees as well.

Blog Blazers: 40 Top Bloggers Share their Secrets to Creating a High-Profile, High-Traffic and High Profit Blog by Stephane Grenier (Levac Publishing House, 2008)   This is one of those books that serious bloggers will keep on their shelves.  I like that this book features 40 top bloggers and not just 10 or 15 like most profile books. I enjoyed learning great techniques and about what blogs these pros read.  Try reading a chapter a day, look at the blogs of the blogger featured, see what they are doing well that you can implement in your blog. Learning how successful bloggers approach their blogging is an exercise that will have lots of benefits.

Greening Your Small Business: How to Improve Your Bottom Line, Grow Your Brand, Satisfy Your Customers – and Save the Planet by Jennifer Kaplan (Prentice Hall Press, 2009)  Green is not just the color of money. Going green can be overwhelming, but Jen Kaplan provides a comprehensive guide to practical, meaningful, low-cost changes that can be applied today to go green in your business. Green practices are being measured by everyone including your customers-so use this book to build an additional competitive advantage in your business and save the planet as the same time.

Do you know a book that should be added to the list?  Let me know, I love getting your feedback.

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For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda Emerson “SmallBizLady” is a Veteran Entrepreneur, Small Business Expert and Social Media Coach who hosts #SmallBizChat on Twitter.  #Smallbizchat is the trusted resource on Twitter to discuss everything entrepreneurs need to know about launching and running a profitable small business.  Melinda’s first book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months: A Month-by-Month Guide to Start a Business that Works! is scheduled to be released by Adams Media in Feb 2010.