Do you SOUND like an expert in your field?

Usually I react instead of plan. I never know exactly what's going to happen or who I'm going to meet. Art T.

I never plan. If it is a networking event, I go to be social and meet fellow Bizniks, make new connections in the community but through who I am, not so much what I do. Once the "who I am" is established, the what I do is the next natural question. Seems to me I have my social personality is down cold...

Now if it were more" of a "learning" event, I may have a totally different approach. Bring info. about my business, talk my company up, etc.

Not only do I not plan, I don't talk to anyone when I get there and that's assuming I even turn up.

On the other hand, I'm a good public speaker, it's just no one is ever there to listen.

Oohh what a dilemna it is, being an antisocial extrovert!

I have two or three "elevator" speeches I have prepared determining on what type of group I will be chatting with. One is about 30 seconds up to 3 minutes. It allows me to open the doors on my topics depending on the prospects in the room.

I don't find myself planning either. I go with the intension of chatting... about anything. Do I look for openings? Sure. But it is more instinctive than planned.

I will tell you one thing. I don't take kindly to people who command conversations just to promote themselves. If I want that, I'll walk into your office or booth at the trade shows. But at a networking event I am not expecting to be hard sold too.

And the expert in the field headline is a little misleading for this post. I don't think you need to practice or plan to sound like an expert. It comes naturally because the knowledge is there. Those who 'try' or 'practice' to sound like an expert usually find themselves losing their audience because they use industry specific terms that most people don't know or understand. OK, so they would lose me as an active participant in the conversation.

And there is my input.

Zou hao.

The react instead of plan approach does work for me. I often get referrals and connections from networking events. When I introduce myself I just try to be natural. I assume that others are their to meet people just like I am. If I introduce myself first that saves everyone from waiting around wondering who's going to break the ice. I start all kinds of conversations. Most of that kind of thing depends on the nature of the event. Again its a reaction thing. Art T.

How about because you know what you do so well you can be spontanious, or, witty, or flexible, or just not contrived?

Just a thought that occurs whenever I am faced by someone whose sincerity is written on a piece of paper and they've learned it. Perhaps they could just post in their "elevator" speach and then save me the time of having to converse with them, especially if that's all they have to say...?

Whoever said, "people buy people first and their products next" I'd second that thought. I am an expert on me. I'm in fact the world's leading authority, if not the only authority on me. I don't need to revise on the subject as i'm usually being me when I'm meeting anyone else (without exception by default). If you have an elevator speach prepared...please do me a favour...get off at another floor!

Thanks for introducing this topic, Lauren. It's an important one. This last Saturday at the Almost Free BizSchool in Renton, the lunchtime networking panel (with bizniks Bob Dunn, Dan McComb and Pamela Ziemann participating as panelists) discussed this very subject.

My personal take on this is that's it's very important to be able to tell someone precisely (and concisely) what you do and the benefit for them, but it's even more important to be "in the moment," to take your cue from the person you are talking with—to listen, I mean really listen, to them, to find out what their needs are and what's on their mind, and to come from your inner core with honest responses, which, to me, means thinking on your feet and staying spontaneous.

As far as "elevator speeches" go, I have gone through the process of defining who I am and what I have to offer. But it probably comes out a little differently each time and I may focus on what I can offer relative to what someone's specific needs are (if in fact I offer something that's a good fit with their needs). But I don't know their needs until I've met them, so it works for me to not have a super-structured presentation.

In networking situations, I try to just let my personal side come out, listen a lot, ask questions and, most important of all, have a good time getting acquainted with people.

This takes me back to the Shameless Promo workshops I have taken with Howard.

At the last one, we talked a lot about having more natural conversations and the way each other's energies lightened up when we got more into a sharing dialogue and not a what I do thing.

Another thing that was brought up was learning how to not talk so much techno jargon. Talk in every day language terms so your person, who likely doesn't know much about what you do or the field of it, can understand what the hey you are talking about.

I really thought I had my intro and what I do "down" but I found out different at the last workshop! All very good learning experiences.

I think we are all here to help each other discover ways to present ourselves to clients, etc. Can't count how many times I've been conversing with a Bniker at an event and heard myself say something that really nailed what I do - and have carried that into marketing my biz.

Love it!

PS. If you are chatting with someone who doesn't seem clear on what they do or is having trouble voicing it, mention that it's not seeming clear and ask if they would like you to help them get clearer by having a question and answer dialogue or something. Can be very helpful and that is what we are all here to do right - help each other?!!

Thank you Lauren for the compliment. An elevator speech is not a "sales track" of sorts. It is a great way of introducing yourself, what you do and what you have to offer. I know each time I am in a position to use one, it almost always comes out different than what was originally decided. As Judy indicated, it is very important to listen what is being said, even more important than speaking, that is why we have one mouth and two ears! Regardless of what your elevator speech states, you must follow up with "and what do you do?" Getting some people to chat about what they do can be difficult at times as some folks are introverts and don't like to toot their own horn. Case in point, the last Biznk event I attended the man spent more time talking about where he was from and a trip he was getting ready to take, versus letting me know about his business. This was good information but after he finished, I asked him how his business would be with him being gone and finally got him to tell me more about his business. Networking events are first about business and developing relationships. I can't remember the last time someone asked me to get off on another floor on the elevator, but there is always one out there. Getting acquainted with people especially if you are in the people business is the most important part of a successful business. Keep the faith out there.

I like that....that is why we have two ears and one mouth! I'm gonna share that somewhere, someday!

Nice!

The type of networking event, the organization of the event and the physical layout of the room or rooms have a direct bearing on how you communicate with the other attendees. You need to know the type of networking event to be able to prepare before the event so you can act accordingly at the event. Having a basic message is imperative to gain the first good impression. Spontaneous speechs often lead to spontaneous combustion. Making that well rehearsed message sound natural takes work. Consistency is required so people know who you are and what you do. Getting to know someone after that initial good contact is necessary to give referrals based on trust. As Bob Burg says in "Endless Referrals", we do business with those we know, like and trust. If you are too busy trying to figure out what to say spontaneously, you are not listening. Listening is key to getting to know someone and focusing on how you can help them, learn about them and determine whether or not you can trust them enough to refer someone to them. Preparation, then, is necessary if you are serious about consistently good results from your network marketing efforts. Focus on the other person and you will benefit greatly.

I respectfully disagree with Charles. I do not think that spontaneity can hurt one in networking situations, when it is used to have truly two-way conversations.

Yes, you do need to know exactly who you are, what you offer and who your ideal customer or niche market is. And your core message does need to stay the same. That's a great place to start.

But the whole point I was trying to make was not that you try to figure out what to say spontaneously while the person you meet is talking. Precisely the opposite: you listen and remain flexible (and attentive) enough to respond to that person in a meaningful way that really forges a powerful connection between you. It took me some time to reach the point of being able to tune in, think on my feet and truly communicate in authentic ways (writer and life-long "planner" that I am) so this discussion has been very interesting to me. I appreciate hearing everyone's perspectives.

Judy, The real name is Chuck.
I see a lot of people that are unprepared, think that a networking does not work because they are unprepared,, and leave with a bad feeling about networking. Therefore those that go to networking events and wing it lose sight of the real purpose of networking: to build business relationships, either direct or indirect.

I totally agree with everything you say:

"Yes, you do need to know exactly who you are, what you offer and who your ideal customer or niche market is. And your core message does need to stay the same. That's a great place to start."

Listening is the key and I agree.

"you do need to know exactly who you are, what you offer and who your ideal customer or niche market is. And your core message does need to stay the same."

"It took me some time to reach the point of being able to tune in, think on my feet and truly communicate in authentic ways"

It took some time for me to be able to do this also, introvert that I am, but with input from good examples like you and this forum. I learned.

Thanks

CHUCK

Tell me about yourself Ron.

Far more flattering and respectful than..."and what do you do?" If I wanted pigeon holing, I'd live in a coup. Likewise, I don't expect to pigeon hole others.

What you do, is not who you are. Even if you have a business I could do business with, I would rather do business with someone I felt I could work with on an amicable basis.

I do have a benefit, in that I'm not trying to sell anything to anyone. Give me a card, don't sell yor speech to me, thank you. Then again, there's always one who will not appreciate a sales spiel being regurgitated, especially if it's been scattered around the room like a bad cough.

The Dakota Tribal Wisom says, "if you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount." Leadership is quite often about knowing when to get off a dead horse, and, in these days of change, change and more change, we have to know when to dismount. We must not fall into the "dead horse" trap that some leaders do. As a matter of fact, some leaders design techniques to work with dead horses instead of dismounting. After serving our country for three tours in Vietnam in the Special Forces, I chose to take on a field of helping people to understand the complicated field of insurance. I also became a soccer fanatic and professional volunteer. During my tenure as State President of the Washington State Youth Soccer Association, I met countless folks in the community and I found many people didn't understand how to shop for life and health insurance, where to go, what to buy and what kind of coverage they needed. Now I have developed several insurance programs for various Chamber of Commerce members. As 2nd Vice Chairman of the Auburn Chamber I help members understand their current programs and review for alternatives. If a small business belongs to one of the chambers that have endorsed the programs, they can save as much as 21% over the open market and still have a wide range of choices. That is my goal, to help folks secure what they want and need. My small compound in Auburn, my special bride and 7 grandkids keep me quite busy when I am not helping people. This is not my "elevator speech", but additional facts about me since you ask me to tell you about myself.

See that's far more interesting than any elevator speech and also gives us some common ground, whereas, "I sell medical insurance" would have killed the conversation as dead as the horse that you seemed keen to mention, for some reason.

I played soccer, or football as we Brits and the rest of the world call it. Did you see that Man Utd won the Premiership this weekend, going into the final game all square with Chelsea? Plus, in two weeks time, they meet in the European Cup Final.

I happen to have a set of tapes that were produced for PSV Eindhoven (Dutch champs for last 5 or 6 years) designed specifically for training young players. If I could get them on a euro/pal vhs I'd be delighted to show them to you. I also have the 1" master tapes.

If any of your independent businesses would aid travellers, then point them at www.unchainedworld.com it's a free listing of unique businesses that are not part of any chains. No advertising, no sales, just my way to help folk find a sense of place.

Lauren - I often kind of go into "automatic pilot" in entering conversations at networking events. As a national conference speaker, university/college lecturer, workshop presenter, author doing book signings, and regular conference attendee it does become second nature. It's not that my conversations seemed planned or rehearsed - I've just been in the situation so many times that possible topics, questions and responses seem to be stored somewhere in my tiny little brain for immediate retrieval.

This has been quite helpfull. As a new FA, approaching people in a natural and non-contrived manner seems to be an art that can take time (Or lots of extra work!) to master. Entering your "value" in a natural, flowing manner into a conversation seems to be crucial to success and it is great to see the various approaches people take to get there.

If I have a really nice conversation, even if it's not about business, with someone and then hear of someone needing their type of services, I might be inclined to speak with them further about what they do to see if they would be a match for my contact...or sometimes, just refer them and let them do their own connecting of whether it works or not.

Persona is big for me. Know what you do...and be able to hold a conversation of sorts as well since you ARE having human interaction with others when providing services. You are the service provider AND the customer service rep!

Every time I see the words "elevator speech" now I cringe. I usually take the stairs anyway (snare, cymbal crash).

Stephen and Amy make a great point about simply having some good conversation and storing that information away as a referral later.

It certainly feels better to me, more organic.

In my line of work it's usually enough for me to say that I'm an illustrator. Hey, it's catchy... and true. Everyone knows what that is and they can later say, "Hey - I know an illustrator person."

If I'm nice, they'll say that. If I'm presenting myself as a human business card... maybe not.

However! I was recently at a Society of Illustrators event in NYC, where I had the opportunity to meet several art director and agents.

At that particular event I made darn sure I knew how to present myself to those art buyers in a way that would help them hire me. We stayed on one level, though (no elevators).

If I spoke the same language at a local biznik event (for example), I would likely get blank stares. Um... who wants another drink?

So, I go off the cuff. If someone is interested enough to learn more about my work, I gladly open up. Otherwise, I just want to know the people behind the business.