Brightfarm Introductions

Welcome to the Brightfarm Introductions BLOG

Dear Fellow Professional,

Everything in business STARTS with an introduction, wouldn’t you agree?  Many times, before someone sees your website, your product, your service or whatever you have to offer they meet…you.  You ARE the business or organization, so it’s prudent to have an effective 30-second elevator pitch/networking commercial.

As “The Elevator Pitch Coach”, I’ve created this blog to provide ideas for developing a high impact introduction.  Why take my advice?  As President and Founder of Brightfarm Introductions for over five years, I’m a professional commercial writer.  My Video Shorts have been used by businesses and organizations alike in email campaigns, websites, tradeshows and even television.  I know what works when creating a “verbal commercial" as well.

Just getting started creating your introduction?  Use the “Categories” section to get hints and tips on how to CREATE, DELIVER, USE your elevator pitch, and how to STAND OUT at networking functions.

If you’d like to get immediate help directly from me, I invite you to visit my main website at www.brightfarm.com to learn about my services including private coaching (I’ll write your pitch for you) – either in person or by phone, as well as our “Creating a Knock-out Elevator Pitch” workshops.

Enjoy the blog, and feel free to comment if you have any questions or would just like to provide feedback or thoughts.

Best to you always,

Barbara, The Elevator Pitch Coach
Brightfarm Introductions

Speak up when introducing yourself

You’ve probably heard the saying, “don’t hide your light under a bushel”.  It is used to mean to have more self confidence and to be more assertive.  This is especially true when it comes to your elevator pitch.

Whether it’s your introduction when meeting someone personally for the first time, or it’s your networking commercial you give to a roomful of professionals “round robin style”, it is absolutely important to be heard. 

Here are two reasons why it’s so important to speak up:

When giving your networking commercial, you’ll miss out on a huge opportunity to promote yourself if not heard.  Sadly, if people have to strain to hear you, they just plain won’t.  People decide within the first few seconds of your speaking as to whether or not they want to listen to you.  If they can’t hear you, they won’t even bother.  Being offered the opportunity to give your networking commercial to an entire roomful of people is such a great thing – you get to introduce yourself to MORE people than you normally would in a mix and mingle situation.  If you speak too softly and aren’t heard, you’ve just wasted your 30-second exposure. 

Speaking loudly and clearly reflects confidence.  If you speak too softly or timidly, you could be showing (whether you mean to or not) that you are not confident in your message or what you have to offer.  It’s unfortunate, but people will perceive this if you can’t be heard. 

Tips for insuring you are heard:  Speaking loudly and clearly may not come naturally if you are more of an introvert, or if you get nervous speaking in front of crowds or when meeting people for the first time.  That’s why it’s important to practice your elevator pitch as much as possible, so that it begins to come out confidently and natural sounding.  One trick I teach my private coaching clients when they are delivering their pitch to a room, is to look out into the audience for the person or table that is furthest from where they are standing, and make it their goal to speak loudly enough for that person or table to hear them.  If you see furrowed brows, or people leaning forward to try to hear you, you know you’re speaking too softly. 

Don’t hide your light under a bushel – instead, be confident in your introduction and be sure to speak up.  You don’t want anyone to miss what you have to offer!

If you struggle in this area, consider a private coaching session with me.  We’ll work on making you more comfortable with your elevator pitch, I’ll give you lots of great tips on how to reflect confidence in your message, and we’ll practice it until you’re much more comfortable. It’s fun and easy, and can be done either in person or by phone.  Learn more about private coaching sessions here. 

Would you like to use this "Fresh Tip" for your newsletter or website?  You absolutely can as long as you use this complete blurb with it:  Barbara Lopez, "The Elevator Pitch Coach" with Brightfarm Introductions, helps business professionals introduce themselves with high impact.  Everything in business starts with an introduction.  If you're ready to learn how to introduce yourself and your business professionally and comfortably, visit Barbara at www.brightfarm.com.

Use your pitch during the holidays

The holiday season is definitely the biggest time of year when we have the MOST interaction/communication with people, wouldn't you agree?   This is the time of year when you're most likely to reach out to everyone you know - from friends and family, to your clients and network. 

There are going to be MANY opportunities to gently remind or let people know what it is that you do, so I thought I’d share some ways you can use your elevator pitch (or at least parts of it) during holiday activities. 

Before I start, I'd like to clarify that I'm not a big believer in using the holidays to be "sales-y" or pushy (or anytime, for that matter).  The holidays are the time to relax, celebrate and ENJOY the people in your lives - not push a product or service over a cup of eggnog.  However, in all of the holiday good cheer you'll find inquiring minds wanting to know what it is that you do, so it's a good idea to be prepared with a good response and brush up on your elevator pitch.

Holiday mixers:   Business holiday mixers are sure to bring out the question, "What do you do?".  Depending on the level of conversation you're having, you can either answer them with a simple response,  or if you're feeling more ambitious you can give them your elevator pitch (as long as it’s only 30-seconds, of course).  Keep in mind this isn't the opportunity to push your wares on them, but it IS a great time to make a new connection (you never know when someone might be looking for what you have to offer).  Gage their level of interest and then determine how much to share.

Holiday gatherings:   Whether it's a get-together with friends or family or your significant others’ company holiday party, I predict that at some point while you're sipping champagne and eating cocktail meatballs, someone will ask you what you do.  Again, you can use the simple response  if you choose.  However, I also think this is a great time to briefly educate folks on what you do!  You'd be surprised how many of your friends and family that you THINK know what you do, maybe really don't.  This is why it's important to quickly describe what you specialize in - don't just say you're a "realtor" or "insurance agent" - tell them WHAT you do.  It's also a great way to spark a conversation - the person you're talking to might have a story to share about an experience they've had in your field, or they may open up about a problem they're having that you can solve!

Holiday greetings:   Does your family send out an annual Christmas letter?  Do you send out holiday greetings to your clients?  What a perfect opportunity to update people on what you're doing!  Use your elevator pitch as a brief update!

Out and about shopping:  Whether shopping or standing in line at the post office, wear something promotional - you never know when someone might see it and ask you what you do.  In the last week alone, I've been asked about my business THREE times just by wearing promotional items.

Again, I'm not advocating big sales pitches at this time of year (no one wants to feel 'sold' to - and if they sense that, they'll run to the other side of the room), I'm just encouraging you to take some social opportunities to let people know what it is that you do.  Notice how many times people ask you!  A little preparation will go a long way in not only showing professionalism, but in making friends and new connections.

Now, pass the eggnog, please! 

Would you like to use this "Fresh Tip" for your newsletter or website?  You absolutely can as long as you use this complete blurb with it:  Barbara Lopez, "The Elevator Pitch Coach" with Brightfarm Introductions, helps business professionals introduce themselves with high impact.  Everything in business starts with an introduction.  If you're ready to learn how to introduce yourself and your business professionally and comfortably, visit Barbara at www.brightfarm.com.

Re-introduce yourself

Over the past few weeks I have been spending a great deal of time reconnecting with other professionals that I’ve been out of touch with for some time.  It all started with my business card binder organization project.  While some contacts are past clients, some are people that I met briefly through networking efforts, and I found this to be a good time to re-introduce myself, which has led to stronger connections as well as gaining new clients.

For some professionals, the holiday season that we’re just jumping into tends to be a “slower” time, and many take that opportunity to wrap up projects as well as ramping up their plans for the new year.  Why not take some of that time to reconnect and re-introduce yourself to other professionals you’ve connected throughout the year?

Some places to start:

Cards you’ve collected from networking efforts:  If you have a stack of business cards sitting on your desk, and maybe you didn’t have a chance to follow up with most (and are feeling a bit guilty about it), this is a great opportunity to take the time to re-introduce yourself.  It’s helpful if you can remind them of when or where you met them, but you’ll be able to “break the ice” if you say you’re calling just to “re-introduce yourself”.

Your contact management database:  Every once in a while I cruise through my contact management system and look for people that I met maybe just once – at a speaking event, at one of my workshops, at a networking function and give them a call to remind them of who I am and what I do – as well as to learn what they’re up to.  This is a great way to “clean up” your list to make sure it’s a strong network.

Your email inbox:  You might have a few neglected contacts in your email inbox.  Perhaps others have made an introduction for you that you need to follow up with, or you’ve been sent queries where you answered a simple question for someone, but haven’t officially met them yet.  A personal email as a follow up can turn into a stronger contact.

Your online relationships:  With social media tools a big part of our networking efforts these days, it would be a good idea to tap into the connections you’ve made there in an effort to re-introduce yourself.  While it’s easy to click “accept” to connect with someone within these popular networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), you might not have had a chance to really personally introduce yourself and connect with people individually to share what it is that you do.  Sometimes we just assume that because people came to your social networking “page” and that they are “following” you that they know what you do.  Personal outreach to these contacts with an easy “in” such as re-introducing yourself or reminding people of what you do can be helpful in building richer online relationships. 

This can also be applied to your newsletter list, if you have one.  In my case, I attract readers from all over the world who find me online and subscribe to my newsletter list and I have never actually met them before.  Sure they’re hearing from me on a weekly basis, but a personal introduction can go a long way in confirming that I am someone who can help them in the area of elevator pitches.

Spending a little bit of time reconnecting and re-introducing yourself can help you to not only practice and hone your elevator pitch, but it can also help you build a stronger network, which is obviously a huge benefit. 

Let’s take the advice of Mark Victor Hansen:  “Expand your network by one quality person a day, forever.”  Re-introducing yourself is a perfect opportunity to do just that.

Would you like to use this "Fresh Tip" for your newsletter or website?  You absolutely can as long as you use this complete blurb with it:  Barbara Lopez, "The Elevator Pitch Coach" with Brightfarm Introductions, helps business professionals introduce themselves with high impact.  Everything in business starts with an introduction.  If you're ready to learn how to introduce yourself and your business professionally and comfortably, visit Barbara at www.brightfarm.com.