"So, what do you do?"
Does this question make you cringe because you have to speak your 30-second introduction? Perhaps you're uncomfortable with it because it's just "not quite right"---and it doesn't capture the magic of what you really do to help others. Or, maybe you're wondering if it sounds canned, corny, and over-rehearsed. That's a real turn-off, for you and the other person, isn't it?
One thing I know for sure is we've all been through the exercise of writing our 30-second introductions multiple times. Typically, you get a piece of paper on it with lines that you have to fill in, and voila, you have your 30-second introduction! Maybe it's time to revisit the old "30-second", update it, and breathe new life into it so you can attract more business!
Would you like some tips about how you can energize and emotionalize your 30-second introduction, or "30-second sound byte". Great! Here's how...
The Formula
As human beings, we respond to people, topics, and things that stimulate our emotions, so it is crucial, if you want to be "heard", that your 30-second sound byte stimulates emotions. If you fail to stimulate an emotional interest or response, people simply won't listen to you. Here is the 5-part, sure-fire formula to get the emotional response you want from others to generate interest in YOU!
1. Don't label yourself (I am a mortgage broker...I am a Web designer...).
2. Identify "What" you are really selling (benefits and value).
3. Use strong verbs, such as create, design, and teach. (NEVER use adjectives.)
4. Use numbers to "dollarize" and quantify what you do.
5. Relate these numbers to Money, Love, or Health. Let's get into some more detail about each of the 5 components of the formula...
1. Don't label yourself.
As of this moment, stop labeling by saying, "I am a graphics artist", or "I am a marketing consultant". As soon as you say something like that, people try to place you somewhere in their minds, because the brain is a HUGE filing cabinet! For example, if you say, "I'm a mortgage broker", usually the first thing the other person will think is, "I've already got one, and I don't need one". Oh, and you're selling promotional products? "Got some, don't need any more." If you label yourself, you instantly close the other person's receptiveness to you, because they think they don't need you. Give yourself a greater chance of being heard by keeping the other person's mental filing cabinet open.
2. Identify "What" you are really selling (benefits and value).
You're not just a mortgage broker, marketing consultant, or a massage therapist. The key in this step is to identify what it is that you are truly selling. For example, if you're a mortgage broker, perhaps you're selling financial independence through investment in real estate. If you are a marketing consultant, you may be selling how to increase a person's income, and a massage therapist is selling stress relief.
Identify the ultimate benefit and value someone will receive by working with you.
3. Use strong verbs, such as create, design, and teach. (NEVER use adjectives.)
Verbs are the most powerful words in the English language, so, you certainly want to put them to work for you.
All of us also tend to define each other by the verbs we use in our speech. For example, if you say you help, you are the "helper". If you say I assist, you are the "assistant". Think about this...if you say you help or assist, the client still has a lot of work to do in their minds to solve their problem, don't they? Their problem still isn't solved, and they're not interested in your solution, because they want pain relief and results now!
Use strong verbs in your 30-second sound byte, such as, "I teach", "I create", or "I develop," because they make you appear stronger, dynamic, and more helpful in solving problems.
It's also a good idea not to use use adjectives in your 30-second sound byte. Repeated studies in the advertising field show they simply don't work. Saying, "I have the most fabulous skin cream that works wonders!" seems like a sales pitch, and is not very credible. This leads us into our 4th part of the formula...
4. Use numbers to "dollarize" and quantify what you do.
Numbers are the MOST powerful "words" you can use in your 30-second sound byte. People remember numbers because:
- Numbers make the abstract real.
- Numbers are shown to make us anxious and curious.
For example, if you say, "I teach people the 5 secrets about how to create financial freedom," or "I've developed 2 techniques how to increase your online traffic by 30% within 2 months," it captures attention, and creates curiosity, doesn't it?
"Dollarizing" your value is the most powerful thing you can do to create both interest and a response in the listener to your 30-second sound byte. Think of your best success story, and use this as a guideline to dollarize and quantify your sound byte.
The last piece of the formula is to...
5. Relate these numbers to Money, Love or Health.
Things having to do with money, love or health creates the strongest emotional triggers in people. That's because we all have very strong needs regarding all three of these topics---they are key primary needs we all need to have satisfied. Tying what you do with these three trigger words almost guarantees you will get a stronger emotional response another person.
To give you an idea how to put all five pieces of this formula together, here's an example of my 30-second sound byte:
"I teach solo entrepreneurs the 7 steps to increase their income by 50%."
The most common response I receive when I tell people this is, "Really? Tell me how you do it." I then continue with additional sound bytes to keep their interest (rather than jumping into a long, drawn out story about myself).
If you use these 5 steps to create your 30-second introduction, you will create an emotionally charged message that will capture peoples' attention, and generate interest in what you have to say.
Bonita L. Richter, MBA, founder of Profit Strategies, teaches solo professionals and small business owners how to launch and grow businesses, attract more clients, and market their businesses to increase sales, business success, and generate wealth. Find out more about how to market your business and boost sales with her popular FREE eBooks at ===> Profit Strategies.
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