What is Your Verbal Signature?

 

How many times have you stood up at your regular networking event, and given your 30, 40 or 60 second introduction?

Dozens of times?

Hundreds?

Possibly even thousands of times over the course of your career?

 

Have you ever measured just how effective your pitch actually is?

 

Chris Bryan recently followed my advice, and asked the regular members (of one of the networking clubs he visits each week) to articulate what it is that he does.  Guess what they could tell him?

 

Zip.  Zero.  Zilch.  Other than slapping a label on him (“You’re a coach”)

 

Most networkers stick on a label (“I’m an accountant” or “I’m a web designer”) and then natter on about how long they’ve been in business, what their processes are, and why you should be doing business with them.

 

It’s important that I immediately clarify that whenever someone asks you “what do you do?”  the worst mistake you can make is thinking they actually want to know what you do!  What they are really asking is: “What can you do for me?”  The second mistake you can make is labelling yourself.  Labels come with pre-conceived interpretations, and also serve to do nothing more than to commoditise you (“Oh, you’re the 5^th accountant I’ve met today – Let me line you up in a row, you can all tell me what you charge, and I’ll pick the cheapest”) 

 

That is not the space you want to be operating in, is it?

 

 Instead you should:

·         clearly identify exactly who your ideal client is (target market);

·         what problem, issues, or challenges those in your target market are facing (that surprise, surprise your service just happens to help solve);

·          and the ultimate outcome they enjoy after working with you.

 

Since then, Chris and I have worked together and I have helped him to formulate his Verbal Signature™

 

If you would like to work on developing your Verbal Signature, please sign up to my popular newsletter The Marketing Edge.  After you verify your subscription you will receive a FREE BONUS:  a twenty minute MP3 Audio training programme (and accompanying workbook in PDF) entitled Transform your Networking with a Verbal Signature.  please subscribe HERE

 

Happy networking!