 By Cheryl Barbato, a Senior Marketing Manager in Holland & Knight's Boston office. She is responsible for marketing and business development efforts for the firm's New England region as well as for a number of national practices including Intellectual Property, Technology & Emerging Companies and Education. She can be reached at 617-619-9255 or cheryl.barbato@hklaw.com.
You walk into a networking event and notice a person with whom you have been longing to do business. Although you have never met, you have set your sights on this person for some time now. This is your only chance to create a first impression and you don't want to get blown off.
Have you spent much time thinking about how you introduce yourself the first time you meet someone new? Effective networking starts with a great Elevator Pitch and results in business and profits. Even the most productive lawyers will benefit from thinking about their style of introducing themselves when meeting new people.
You've most likely heard about Elevator Pitches as elements of business plan competitions or in regard to their prevalence within the technology community. Wise lawyers apply the same concept to their own businesses in order to help drive profitability. The term "Elevator Pitch" comes from the concept of meeting someone in an elevator and -- before the doors open to the destination floor -- giving this person a reason to want to talk with you further. There's a lot of pressure involved in getting your message across in an extremely short time frame. Be ready for it!
Believe it or not, in less than 20 seconds, you can effectively communicate how you offer value and benefit and open the door for business. The goal of delivering an Elevator Pitch is to pique the interest of your new acquaintance just enough so that they will want to continue the conversation. The desired result is the opportunity to go to the next step – a follow up phone call or meeting.
Don't Get Stuck Between Floors -- Preparation is Essential
It will do you no good to introduce yourself to someone if you have not prepared and thought about what you should say. You need to make an impact with the first sentence that comes out of your mouth. You do not want to waste this opportunity by talking about the weather. Taking the time to develop a solid Elevator Pitch will make networking easier and more effective. You will be able to quickly and confidently illustrate how you can be a beneficial resource to your new contact in order to stimulate conversation and give this person a reason to continue the dialogue. You definitely do not want to be cut off in the middle of your sentence with "We already have a lawyer."
Remember, the goal of your Elevator Pitch is to hold someone's interest so you get the opportunity to tell them more. Your Elevator Pitch must be short, to the point and natural. Stating your Elevator Pitch should feel as natural as saying "Good morning." Reaching that comfort level requires judicious development and a good deal of practice.
"I'll Take The Stairs" -- The "Who Cares!" Pitch
When you introduce yourself to someone, you do not want "who cares" to cross their mind. From the outset, you need to make them care. Let's face it --lawyers have a lot of competition. There are more than 681,000 attorneys in the United States. When making new acquaintances, you need to make an impression and quickly set yourself apart from your competition. Often, people hear the word "lawyer" and dollar signs instantly flash before their eyes as they disengage from the conversation.
In order to hold the attention of a new acquaintance, tell them something interesting! Saying that you are an estate planning attorney might be boring, but by conveying your expertise in a more personal and specific context, you will most likely see more head nodding and generate curiosity. Make your introduction personal by stating how what you do could be beneficial to them. For example, "I help individuals apply creative strategies to their estate plans so that their families are protected at the time of their death." Practice your elevator pitch -- If you can say "who cares!" after your elevator pitch, then it is definitely wrong.
"First Floor…Going up!" -- Composing Your Elevator Pitch
When developing your statement, it is key to think in terms of your clients. Don't think about what matters to you. Saying "I'm a lawyer because I think estate plans are important," will not leave a strong and lasting impression. Your Elevator Pitch should not be about you, it must be about YOUR CLIENTS. Consider what has made your clients particularly happy in the past. When they describe to others how you have assisted them, what elements do they focus on? Why do your clients do business with you? How does your service help your clients save time or improve their productivity? Do you help them save money? Keep them out of jail? Protect their future?
It is difficult to develop your Elevator Pitch without putting pen to paper. You need to write it down, make adjustments, read it out loud, practice it, and memorize it. One of the most effective ways to develop your pitch is to break it into two sections. The first phrase should describe what you do. But remember – be creative and use specific examples. Rather than stating that you are an intellectual property lawyer, you may want to say "I scrutinize unused patents for my clients…" Part two of your pitch should describe the benefit of what you have just stated. Usually this section contains a phrase like "so that." For example, "…so that they can find ways to convert them into profits for their companies." The complete pitch, "I scrutinize unused patents for my clients so that they can find ways to convert them into profits for their companies," can be stated clearly in less than 10 seconds and certainly raises the level of interest. Your goal is to get a business card and the person's permission to follow up with a phone call.
Stopping on Multiple Floors -- A Nimble Approach
Flexibility is a factor of success in using an Elevator Pitch for networking and business development. In most cases, it is smart to have multiple Elevator Pitches prepared. As a lawyer, you may want to have versions about your practice, as well as pitches about your firm ready to go. Be alert and ready to adapt your pitch and use whichever is most appropriate in a given situation. You may also want to consider having long and short versions, as well as alternative approaches. For example, use current events as a frame of reference. If you worked on a high profile case, and you are not breaching confidentiality, then talk about it! The key is to communicate in terms of how you were able to help your client to obtain a successful end result. You may want to consider phrasing the first half of your pitch in the form of a question in order to immediately engage the person in the conversation. For example, "You know how Company X made many of the ships for the Coast Guard?"…"Well, I worked with the government on behalf of Company X to get those contracts awarded to my client." People look for results as validation and they want to hear about them quickly.
Reaching the Top -- Using Your Elevator Pitch Effectively
Before you take it to those you really want to impress, it is important to test the effectiveness of your Elevator Pitch. You may think it is magnificent, but you will get a much better read by seeing how others react to it. Do they want to continue the conversation? Do they say "Nice meeting you" and walk away? Do they show any interest in you?
Keep the conversation going by asking questions about your new contact. People love to talk about themselves, so this shouldn’t be difficult. Listen carefully to what the person is saying and think of ways in which you can relate this information back to how you can provide assistance. If you find that there is not a good fit, you can politely move on. But, you may discover that this person has a need for something you can offer. It is key to remember that the goal isn't to be talking about who you are and what you do. You want to find out who the other person is, what he does, and why it is important to him. He only cares about how you can help him have a better future. Your Elevator Pitch isn't about you, it is about how you can add value to your client's business. |
RSS FEED
