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Bored of your own elevator pitch? Try this

When the spotlight’s on you for just 60 seconds – what do you say?

You know the kind of event I mean. The business breakfasts or fortnightly coffee mornings, when everyone gets one minute to share who they are and what they do.

There’s only so many times you can hear Beryl from Browns Bay tell you she’s a lawyer specialising in estates, wills and trusts, before you switch off.

Sure there might be a few newcomers or visitors each week, but most people have heard it before and no one is really listening anymore. Yawn. Remind me why I’m here again?

Today I want to share a different way of introducing yourself, that’s nothing to do with an elevator pitch or awkwardly brandishing business cards to people who are more interested in the quality of their flat white.

Introducing the 60-second story.

Instead of rabbiting on about what you do, choose one client and turn their experience into a 60-second story. (I’m working on the assumption that 60 seconds is all you’ve got.)

Something like this….

What do you think? More engaging right?

Or how about this?

If you want to write your own 60-second story, here’s some tips.

  1. Be relevant – Make sure that the story you share is relevant to the people in the room. Choose a story that speaks to common struggles of your target market, and frame those struggles in a way that people in the room will understand.

So if you’re talking to a room full of new graduates in their early 20s, don’t go on about your client’s struggles as a mum of teenagers. Either choose a different story, or highlight other aspects of her story that are relevant to your current audience.

  1. Focus on transformation – Choose a story where your client has achieved tangible results. The idea is to show your audience how your client’s life or business has been transformed by working with you. So focus on the results and the outcomes, not the steps you took along the way. How did their life or business look different after working with you?

In the first story I shared above, Emma was no longer wasting time giving free trial sessions to people who were not the right fit. With my help, every single client who signed up for a free session, was her ideal client and Emma is now fully booked. The copy we created led to direct and measurable results in her business.

By focusing on the results, you can provide evidence of how brilliant you are, without having to say it directly yourself. There’s another awkward moment avoided.

  1. Bring it back to the audience – Always end your tale by drawing the story back to your audience and how you could help them.

If you regularly attend networking events, I recommend coming up with two or three 60-second stories that you can alternate week on week.

The more you practice, the easier this will be. Every time a client gets a breakthrough, you’ll find yourself thinking of new ideas and your ever-growing repertoire will make it easy and natural to talk about your business in spontaneous conversation.

Got a 60-second story? I’d love to hear it. Type it in the comments below or send me a voice message.

PS – Need help with finding or crafting your 60-second stories? Let’s hop on Zoom and workshop your stories together, just you and me (no Eggs Benedict required). Book your 60-minute SOS session right here

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