Succeed in Networking with the Power Pitch

by Laura L. Link

Published on this site: August 4th, 2006 - See more articles from this month

How many times have you stood up in the introduction portion of a networking meeting and stated your name, position and company and . that's all. Did you sit down feeling like you had just missed another opportunity to share how your product or service helps others?

Day Four:

Your Power Pitch is a way of delivering a clear and concise message about your business, program, project, mission etc. to a prospect or a reporter in the amount time that it takes for an elevator to go from one floor to the next.

The Power Pitch is the first and most basic step in communicating your message. The goal is to capture your audience's attention by showing what your business is and who it helps. Some fancy management consultants call this the "relative advantage" and it consists of how the project or concept directly benefits or affects the person with whom you are speaking.

Are you:

• faster
  
• cheaper
  
• smaller
  
• simpler
  
• easier
  
• more efficient
  
• prettier
  
• more secure (guaranteed)
  
• more features
  
• better value (combining features)
  
• better design
  
• better service
  
• more advertising
  
• better advertising
  
• more available
  
• higher quality
  
• mission-driven

Question Everything- Take 10 minutes to really ask yourself:

With whom do I work best?

In what areas do I or my business specialize?

What do we really do better than anything else?

Here's how to write your Power Pitch-

Use this worksheet to answer the questions that will help you create your Power Pitch (also known as an elevator speech or 30-second commercial).

A Worksheet

1. What is your name, title and company?
   
   This is actually very basic, but take some time, especially if you are a business owner or have different roles to consider introducing yourself differently at different times. If this seems appropriate, you may want to include those varieties in multiple power pitches.
   
   Hello, I am (name)_____________________,the (title)_______________________ with (company)___________________________ .
   
   
2. Describe your Ideal Client in terms of job position/role, life stage, demographics, psychographics, experience, etc. Fill in the blanks: My ideal client is a____________________who_______________.
   
   
3. What problems do you solve? What keeps your prospects up at night? List your clients' main problems:
   
   Problem a:______________________________________
   Problem b:______________________________________
   Problem c:______________________________________
   
   
4. What solution do you provide?
   
   We provide_________________________________ to improve (client problems in one or two words)__________________________And we (benefit atement)_________
   
   
5. Your next step is to review your answers to all these questions and cross out words and add others until you find phrasing that is easy for you to say and easy for others to understand.
   
   
6. Now, using the form below, combine the answers to questions 1-4, in order, and don't forget to end with a closing question.
   
   Your PowerPitch will be structured like this:
   
   "Hello, I am (your name), the (your title) with (company name). My typical client is a (describe client profile) who is concerned by (client problems). We provide (your unique solutions) to improve (client problems in one or two words) so the client can (your benefit statement written from client's point of view) with greater ease (or better/cheaper/faster). Whom do you know who can benefit from my service /product?

Days Five,Six,and Seven:

Finished your Power Pitch? Great! Now, Try this: Practice your Power Pitch. Speak it out loud in your car on your way to networking events. Print it out and post it near your computer.

And this:Get three blank sheets of paper. Title the first sheet "Reporters." The next will be "Prospects," and the last sheet will be "Referral Sources." Work with each sheet for twenty minutes on three different days. For each sheet, rewrite your Power Pitch so that it is targeted specifically to the audience listed at the top of the sheet. Put yourself in the place of your audience, and make sure you answer the question: "What's In It for me?"

Sample pitch:

Here's my Power Pitch. It's focused on the Who angle. "Hello, I am Laura Link, a communication consultant. The clients who benefit most from my services typically fall into two categories: Corporate Executive Leaders and Entrepreneurial Leaders, especially those with internet businesses. For both, excellent communication skills are critical. That's where I come in. I help leaders focus their goals and put words to them to improve their ability to make their point and get results. You probably know someone who needs this kind of help?"

Some professionals like to use a stronger call to action as the last line of their Power Pitch. That's fine. Should you use a hard close? What works for you? Do not try a hard close if it feels unnatural to you. You'll notice that here I chose to take a more conversational approach because that is how I position myself. I'm not a salesperson and although I give many talks and workshops, I do not consider myself a speaker: I am a conversationalist. In later chapters of 45 Days to Power Publicity, we'll talk about doing a Credibility Check on every message you create. My softer close is because of my own personal Credibility Check.

Laura Link, writer and author of 45 Days to Power Publicity
http://www.45daystopowerpublicity.com has spent 19 years practicing her craft on behalf of a diverse roster of clients. Based in Florida, she conducts live and online workshops dealing with your communications challenges. She brings a wealth of tools and creativity to your campaigns.