Your Verbal Business Card

By Bryan Daly

 

What do YOU do?

Your best opportunities for making connections with a new contact lie in letting the other person do more of the talking.

 

Your Verbal Business Card: Do you have one prepared for?

1. The Elevator Speech

2. The 30-Second Commercial

3. “What do you do?”

4. The 3 or 5 Minute Presentation

 

The Elevator Speech

“What Do You Do?”

Introduce your business without coming on too strong.

Introduce yourself in a way that people will want to ask you for more information.

Keep it short!!!

 

Use POWER VERBS

• Think of verbs like teach, create, design, reorganize, manage, develop, establish, boost, generate. Use one of these verbs to describe what you do. It makes you more of an innovator and an expert in your profession.

NUMBERS HOOK

Numbers hook attention.

• People love numbers…numbers sound like statistics, and statistics are real.

• Numbers carry remarkable credibility that descriptive words don’t.

• Numbers can generate a little anxiety.

• We judge ourselves by numbers all our lives. Age, weight, income — we’re all either on the right or the wrong side of 30.

• Numbers create urgency, and urgency prompts action.

 

Write your NUMBERS HOOK

• What kind of results do you produce.

• How many? In how much time? How often?

• These percentages are extremely useful to drop into the conversation.

• They make your results that much more believable.

For example, “I’ve developed five ways  to _____  within ___ months.”

 

SOLVE A DEEP NEED

• This is the most important part of the 30-second message.

• This is where you speak of the value you offer your clients.

• Tie that value to the deepest needs people have — more money, better relationships, or better health.

• Tell me your greatest success stories!

 

What is unique about YOU?

• What is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?

• Things you do well… better than anyone else.

When And How To Use A Memory Hook

The best memory hook is one that you can use in many contexts.

• It should work in a pure word-of-mouth setting, as when you are attending a meeting of a networking group.

• It should work on your business card, on your letterhead, your calendars, your giveaway pens (another reason to keep it short), even your print ads.

• Of course, networking opportunities are one of the most cost-effective forms of advertising.

• The problem is, that most people don’t know how to stand out in the crowd at these of events.

• memory hooks have a distinct edge over their competition..

 

Example: For a Pest Control Business

• Bugs…They can run but they ONLY Die Tired

Prepare, Practice, & Master

• It is critical to prepare PRACTICE and master a ‘verbal business card’ to create interest with your response.

• Remember, you have only 10-30 seconds to grab their attention

The 30-Second Commercial

Once someone has indicated some interest, give them a brief description of what you do and peak interest even more.

 

 

Anatomy of a 30 second presentation

Give examples of ways you have helped others- how and why it was valuable to them. Be as specific as possible

Answer the following:

• Who are you looking for?
• What kinds of referrals?- Be specific
• What can you do for them?
• …can do it in time or cost?
• When do you do what you do?
• Any Free services? consult?
• Why should they come to you? Any outside credibility
• How many years? of experience –
• Where do you do what you do?
• USE a “Did you know?” (gets attention)

People like to learn new things

 

Practice it, Practice it, Practice it.

Anatomy of a 30 second presentation

1.    Intro My name _______ and I’m with ______

2.    Memory Hook

Good hooks are memorable, descriptive and short.

Be creative.

Use words that paint pictures.

Help people to visualize what a good referral is for you

A good memory hook does not have to be funny but it helps

_______________________________________________

3.    The Body

Ideally, you should deliver a different from time to time.

Focus on one service, discuss the benefits rather than the service

Itself.  Also what is a   good referral for you.

___________________________________________________

4.    The summation.  In one or two short sentences, reiterate what you have just said, stating the reasons to act now!

5.    The Closing.  State one more time your name and the name of your company