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| EFFECTIVE NETWORKING |
| PART 3 Presenting your product or service Sooner or later, your host will say, "Tell me about yourself," When that happens,Take 15 seconds--not twenty minutes--to answer Use common everyday language not cyber babble. Realise that terms you use in your work may be unfamiliar to others who are not in your industry. Prepare a 15-second commercial about what you do (Approximately 45 words). People will remember you better. A simple benefit statement defines what you do and how your business is different from others. In networking situations you typically have 15-60 seconds to grab a person's attention and have them understand what it is you do. If you go on for three minutes or more and the person you're talking to still doesn't "get it," you've probably lost them and your potential for doing business. CAPTURE YOUR AUDIENCE'S INTEREST Your first line of introduction should tell people the benefit of working with you, not how you do what you do in the description of your company instead of saying the basics tell the prospect the benefit of what you do “I help people to ……….” Example “I am a security specialist with Insure -U. We help companies protect their losses through affordable insurance.” Use “value added” titles, which describe what you do but positions yourself as a helpful advisor. People are eager to talk to specialists, experts, consultants, advisors, managers, technicians and others that may have important information for them. If you can slant your occupation to have a “You’re a what?” element this is also a talking point that will get further questions asked. Prospects are more likely to respond positively if you offer a benefit. It presents your offer in terms of customer benefits, not product or service or seller If you have not drawn out the other party in conversation to discover their needs and target what you feel would interest them personally then you can use one or two of the key buying factors that influence interest and desire SAVE MONEY SAVE TIME IMPROVE STATUS SECURITY The downside of this is that the benefit that you stress in the opening may not be the benefit most important to the prospect. If you offer low cost and the prospect would rather pay more money for better quality then you may have lost them at this early point. This is why it is essential to gather information using effective questioning early in conversation. When you are presenting your service to an individual in conversation, use the information that you have gathered from the questions you have asked so far. Tailor make your benefit statement using the link words “which means that” to give your words a personal desired element. Always talk in benefits rather than features A feature is an aspect of your product or services design. The benefits are what it would mean to individuals personally. If you capture interest at the beginning it is great to use a hypothetical situation (So for example you were saying earlier that….) relevant to the individual to show how your product/service could help them. This is painting word pictures that for many works better than words alone. Lights...camera...action! Being seen and be known. Volunteer for talks, Ok you may not get paid for these but they provide the perfect platform for having sole focus on you and your service. This is worth its weight in gold in itself. WE are always looking for speakers for our lunches One minute introduction In a networking situation you may have the opportunity to give a 60 second speech to the group providing an insight into what you do. This is a fantastic opportunity that many people lose because of a: the content of their speech and b: the way they present themselves. What should you include in your speech: Thank last person who has spoken by name. (Listening skills needed here so that you don’t get the name wrong as this will backfire) Clearly give your name Use the “we help people to benefit” rather than a list of your services. If you have many products/services pin point one or two only to feature in your 60 seconds. You will have the opportunity to rotate your services each time you attend and this will make for new information each time to avoid becoming boring. Mention the kind of referrals or customers that you are looking for. Again this can change depending what service you are promoting if you have variable targets/markets. This may act as a mind jogger that prompts a member to think of someone that they know. Include in your speech something as a gift. Use a hint or tip or interesting information that the group will remember. This will set you apart in the impact stakes. End the speech with your name and company name again and you may wish to add a slogan at the end, depending on how cheesy you want to be. People remember what they hear last so this is why it is beneficial to end with a reinforced message |
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