Getting clients through networking is important for you to succeed in your own business, no matter what level you’ve reached (start-up, ramp-up or already successful.) Problem is, while networking to get more clients, you may be unclear on “what to say” and “how to say it.” And that means you can easily make people’s eyes glaze over, which is NOT good for Client Attraction. Time to change that!
The first thing for you to think about is your objective for networking. Ideally, there are two desired outcomes:
- to inspire an ideal client to want to work with you and begin the process
- to inspire an ideal referral source to want to refer clients to you
And where most entrepreneurs attempting to get clients through networking fail miserably is in what they say. Even though you’re trying not to look to rehearsed and stiff, you’ve got to be calculated in what you say, with the end result being, “Wow, that’s exactly what I need (or what my friend needs)! Can I have your card? I want to work with you!” The way to say “all the right things” in the right order to produce a desired result is with a well-crafted elevator speech.
An Elevator Speech is the “commercial” you would use with an ideal prospect in an elevator if you only had 20 seconds to get your message across before reaching your floor and parting ways. It’s meant to describe what you do in a very short amount of time, with the objective being that this person will not only want your card, but will also want to talk to you further about working together.
I consider a great elevator speech to be a crucial part of Client Attraction as a whole and paramount for masterful networking because if you can’t say what you do in a compelling way in LESS than 20 to 60 seconds, you’re letting potential clients slip through your fingers on a daily basis. Not ideal.
The good news is, it’s just a question of plugging things into the formula below and memorizing it. When you have a format to follow, where each step of the formula has a definite purpose and is meant to create the desired result (them wanting to work with you) it works like a charm!
And that’s why I’d like to share with you my very own Elevator Speech Formula:
“I work with (insert ideal client profile) who struggle with (insert client challenges) and would like to (insert results and benefits). What separates my service from other (insert competitors) is (insert your Unique Selling Propositions) and because of this, clients receive (insert motivators and your claim). Would you like to know more?”
It’s that simple!
The secret with elevator speech is to focus on the person you’re speaking to. If they’re thinking: “What’s in it for me?”, then you’ve lost them. If they’re thinking, “Wow, I could use this!” then you’re doing a great job. Do you recall that old saying about the radio station we all listen to, WII-FM? It stands for “What’s In It For Me?!” Well, if you remember that people are always more interested in how you can help them, you’re on the right track. Keep that top of mind when composing your speech and you’ll never see their eyes glaze over, and better yet, you’re more likely to attract a lot more clients when you focus on them.
Your Client Attraction Assignment:
So, here’s what you need to do to build your elevator speech. First, identify the “deliverables”, the services or features that you provide. Then, think in terms of the benefits that your clients or customers can achieve from them working with you. For example, you could use several successful client outcomes. Once you’ve got that written, create an opening phrase that will grab the listener’s attention. The most engaging openers leave the listener wanting more information. Lastly, your elevator speech should authentically and easily roll off your tongue with ease. Practice your speech in front of the mirror and with friends and family. Record it on your phone or computer, and listen to it. If you sound compelling, confident, and sincere and if it’s engaging, then you’re ready to go! If not, tweak it accordingly until it’s just right.
Now, perhaps you’ve thought about different elements of the elevator speech formula before, as it relates to your own business. Great! But if you’re having trouble figuring out who your ideal clients are, what their biggest struggles are, what results and 
benefits they get from you and what makes you REALLY different from the competition, then perhaps you’ll need a little help here. That’s where I’d like to recommend The Client Attraction Home Study System® helps you get clear on the most important things you need to do to set up simple, solid marketing, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step and focused on the “exactly how to”. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. So easy. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. You can get it at http://www.theclientattractionsystem.com
© 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine?
No problem! But here is what you MUST include:
Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System®, the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time…guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your in.come, visit www.attractclients.com.
 I believe the key to more clients, more in-come, and more time off, is making your business run like a well-oiled machine. Right now, you may be handling everything yourself, or perhaps delegating a little bit of it. The problem with that is your business is probably running YOU, as opposed to you running your business. And that probably means lots of stuff is falling through the cracks, which then means lost opportunities and fewer clients and less mo-ney coming in.
In your business, Consistency is crucial; Chaos is costly (both financially and time-wise). When things run like a well-oiled machine, when everything’s organized and proven, there is much less room for chaos. The goal is to have things run on their own, or by someone else, so you can focus on growing your business even more, while having more time off to enjoy yourself. Even if you don’t have a full staff of people helping you, you can make your business run smoothly, with SYSTEMS. The key to systems is to not re-invent the wheel each time you do something in your business. Instead, when something works, document it, and then do it again and again. Then, it becomes a system, and if the system is good, it will create results over and over again too. You may be asking yourself, “OK, I get it. But HOW exactly do I create a system for something? I’m not sure where to start.” It’s actually really simple.
You can systematize many things in your business and in your personal life. In your business, you can systematize each slice of your marketing pie (every slice of the pie represents a way you PULL clients in—we go in depth into this in the home study system), also your schedule, your client management, your calendar, and your email. In your personal life, you can systematize your food shopping, your doctors’ appointments, your personal email, your dry-cleaning, your errands, your banking. You name it, it can probably be systematized. The beauty of everything being on autopilot or handled smoothly is that you set up the infrastructure for a FULL practice, even before you fill your practice. What happens is, when you DO hit full practice status, you will avoid all the breakdowns that cause most businesses to fail. At the same time, you make more time for marketing (the stuff that brings in clients) and for more clients as well. Your Assignment: Give it a try.
You’ll be amazed to see how much of a “problem-free zone” your business becomes. That will give you a lot more time to focus on building the business, a lot more room for new clients, and more time to simply enjoy yourself. You’ll have more time for vacation, for self-care, and for spending yummy quality time with the people you love being with. And that’s what being self-employed is really about. Now, you may have specific questions you want answered about how to systematize your marketing. If so, I recommend getting a copy of the Client Attraction Home Study Systemâ„¢. It gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid marketing systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients.It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, Want to know more about finding your ideal client? You’re in luck because I just launched my f.r.e.e. video training course where I’m teaching my best Client Attraction strategies and lessons to help you earn more in your small business – and Finding Your Ideal Target Audience is the first video in the series. You can get access to all the videos here. It’s super high content and value and it’s getting rave reviews from viewers. You can sign up to view it at www.jointhetop5.com. Enjoy! © 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved. ********************************************* |
Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine?
No problem! But here is what you MUST include:
|
, the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time…guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your in.come, visit
“How LOW can you go?” is what you think about when you do the limbo. Since we’re talking about marketing, I’ll ask you this: How BOLD can you go, in describing what you do?
I was coaching a private client this week about how to turn his Kitchen Designer elevator speech into a conversation that elicits a prospective client meeting, right there at the networking event and in less than 5 minutes! The key? Come up with a claim for what you do that is the BOLDEST thing you can think of (while still being legal, of course).
Your claim should be so bold that the person listening to you will say “Wow, really? How do you do that??” This gives you permission to go into what you do and how you do it (preferably talking about your proprietary system). Now, whenever I talk to clients about this and we start working on this exercise, often the stuff they come up with is kinda bland, stuff we’ve heard before, and that doesn’t elicit that WOW we’re looking for. So, again, I stress, “What’s the BOLDEST THING you can say?” and then the good stuff comes out.
Use, the words below for some inspiration:
- Double in half the time
- A ___% increase over last year
- In less than 10 weeks
- Etc.
Here’s an example of a script I put together for my client:
Stranger: Hi, I’m Jane, we haven’t met yet.
John: Hi, I’m John Smith, founder of Amazing Kitchens.
Stranger: Hi, John, nice to meet you. So, what do you do?
John: I help homeowners increase their home’s value by up to 110% in less than 6 months. (BOLD CLAIM)
Stranger: Really?? How do you do that?
John: Well, you know how some homeowners… (insert CONVERSATIONALLY WRITTEN elevator speech, focus on struggles of the ideal client, and results and benefits they receive after working with you). Would you like to know more?
Stranger: Yes, please!
John: Great…what we can do is set up a complimentary meeting to talk about the approximate current value of your home, your kitchen “lifestyle,” and what we could do to increase your current living experience in your kitchen. We’ll then give you an estimate as to how much your home’s value would increase at resale time. Shall we chat briefly tomorrow to set up a time?
Stranger: Absolutely, let’s do that. Here’s my card.
John: Fantastic. (handshake) Nice, to meet you Jane. I’ll call you tomorrow to set that up, promise. (John made a date, now he’ll circulate and meet more people and do the same thing.)
CHACHING!
Now, granted, this is just a made-up example, but you get the point.
With a bold enough claim, you have permission to start a really compelling conversation, with an invitation to tell them your elevator speech. Not bad for 5 minutes, right?
Your Client Attraction Assignment:
Your turn. What is the boldest claim you can make in the marketplace? If you put your creative hat on, how can you take what you do and transform it into something that prospective clients will be literally WOWED by and will want to know more about, eagerly? Take a pad of paper and brainstorm. Once you figure this out, I guarantee you’ll turn those ‘eyes-that-glaze-over’ into a lot more prospects in your pipeline.
Not sure how to get started with your compelling elevator speech or proprietary system to begin with? You’ll want to get a copy of the Client Attraction Home Study System™ for attracting all the clients you need with proven, systematic processes that will help you fill your practice quickly and consistently, guaranteed. Here’s where you can grab yours: www.TheClientAttractionSystem.com.
Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine?
No problem! But here’s what you MUST include:
Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System , the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time…guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your income, visit www.ClientAttraction.com.
QUOTE: “The torment of precautions often exceeds the dangers to be avoided. It is sometimes better to abandon one’s self to destiny.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
Have you ever felt on the verge of something BIG in your business, that the next level is just within your reach, and at the same time, wondering if you have what it takes to make it happen, if you can actually handle it? There was a point in time when I curiously observed this with colleagues, students and Mastermind Clients of mine.
The quote, "The opera ain’t over until the fat lady sings" originated with San Antonio sports broadcaster Dan Cook during a television newscast in April 1978. He coined the famous phrase after the first basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Washington Bullets during the 1977-78 National Basketball Association playoffs, to illustrate that while the Spurs had won once, the series was not over yet.
And it’s not just for basketball. In Client Attraction, it’s just as applicable, especially when you’re closing the sale. You see, many self-employed professionals believe that once they’ve gotten an "OK", they’re home-free. And ideally that’s the case, but not in every situation.
Many times, you’re confident that this new working relationship is "good to go." Your prospective client signs on the dotted line, gives you their credit card information, you send them your welcome letter or package, and everything seems honky dory. But that’s not always the case.
