Tag Archives: communication

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Perfect Pitch

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“The goal of networking is not to gather sales leads,  but to start business relationships and that begins with a conversation and not a sales pitch”,  asserts presentation and communications coach and author of The Anti-Elevator Speech (2009),  Cliff Sutttle.  Whether you’re at the Rotary Club lunch,  the gym or your second cousin’s third wedding,  eventually someone will ask what you do for a living.  For Freelance consultants and business owners,  a well-crafted elevator pitch is your answer.

The original idea behind the elevator pitch was to have something to say about your business to a potential customer whom you met by chance.  Presumably,  the two of you would be in an elevator and you would have about one minute to tell your story.

An appropriate elevator pitch presents you and your business offering in a casual,  socially acceptable manner.  To use your elevator pitch as a sales pitch is always wrong.  Someone whom you’ve just met is not a candidate for a sales pitch.  Delivering a sales pitch when you should deliver an elevator pitch will soon make you a social pariah.

While it is true that a Freelance consultant or business owner must constantly seek out potential customers,  it is important to first,  verify that one is speaking to a potential customer and not to someone making polite conversation and two,  communicate in a manner that is not perceived as selling.  Focus instead on solving a need and building a relationship and formulate an elevator pitch with a style and substance to communicate that.

The right elevator pitch will open doors for you,  business or social.  Your elevator pitch is a verbal business card.  It introduces you and your business to those who inquire.  Follow these steps and create one that works for you:

!.  The Hook

Cliff Suttle recommends that you give a short,  accurate-yet-vague statement of the ultimate benefit of your product or service.  A financial planner might say that he/she helps clients sleep well at night.  A web designer might say that he/she makes sure that potential customers get answers to their questions about your business.   A marketing consultant might say he/she builds communication links between the business and its customers.   After the hook is given,  say no more.  If the questioner wants to know what you mean,  then there will be a follow-up question.

Sales and marketing guru Geoffrey James,  author of the soon-to-be-published book Business Without the Bulls**t,  recommends that in the hook,  position your firm in one sentence that describes who you are and the primary service you provide,  with a focus on benefits and outcomes.  One who facilitates business strategy meetings might say  “In a one-day session,  I get my clients to reach consensus on pursuing a half-dozen relevant and achievable business goals that are guaranteed to deliver measurable results.”  If the questioner asks how you do that,  then proceed to Step 2.

2.  Differentiate

Defend the claim you made in Step 1 and give two or three reasons that show how your services are superior to competitors’.  Years of experience, marquee clients,  a special proprietary system or patented methodology or scientific data published in credible journals are how you make your case.  Client testimonials on your website or LinkedIn page add credibility to your claim.

3.  Conversation

If your questioner continues to show interest,  he/she may just be nosy,  may be a competitor trying to get information on how you do business,  or may be a genuinely interested prospect or referral source.  You won’t solve the mystery until you get that person talking.  When you ask if your area of expertise happens to be a concern at his/her company,  or note that he/she sounds as if they’ve encountered this situation before and inquire as to how it is being handled now,  the answer will reveal true motives.

4.  Meeting

If it makes sense to continue the conversation,  then ask your questioner for an opportunity to meet and continue what has been started.  If your questioner turned prospect  suddenly seems hesitant,  then ask  what less than optimal previous experience gives him pause, or what you can provide to ease his/her mind.  If your newest prospect seems enthusiastic, then ask how to get on his/her calendar and the preferred mode of contact and time to reach out.  You’ll be on your way to building a profitable business relationship.

Thanks for writing,

Kim

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That’s My Story and I’m Sticking To It

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When your objective is to bring someone around to your way of thinking,  tell that person a story.   Effective storytelling allows us to communicate with listeners in both an emotional and intellectual way.   As a result,  barriers between people break down as they are brought together in a shared experience that strengthens relationships.  A well-crafted and delivered story allows speaker and listener to understand and therefore trust one another.

Stories are used to build confidence in a person or agenda,  motivate listeners to think a certain way and perhaps do certain things.  Storytelling is the original call to action.  Those of us in business are advised to create good stories,  narratives that can be used to persuade others of our integrity and expertise.

When putting together your story,  think first of its ending.  You can choose where in the arc of your professional development  to begin your story,  but the ending is the most important component.  You must present a strong and memorable take-away anecdote,  lesson,  or triumph that listeners will remember,  believe and act upon.

It is advisable to create a  “portfolio”  of business-themed stories.  Your most basic story is your elevator pitch,  the story that describes what you do,  the goal you help clients achieve and the types of clients you work with.  Another,  more detailed,  story will tell listeners about you and the development of your business.   Other stories in your portfolio illustrate your expertise and professionalism.

The story of how you built your company will tend toward the inspirational.  That story might describe what motivated you to go into business and give a brief behind-the-scenes look at an obstacle you had to overcome on your way to becoming successful.  Don’t be afraid to reveal mistakes made along the way.  Let your listener experience your humanity and authenticity.

To demonstrate your expertise,   tell stories that show how you helped a client make money,  save money,  avoid disaster,  or discover a niche market.  Both types of stories build your credibility and are useful relationship builders and sales tools.

When developing and presenting a story,  be clear about its purpose in your communication strategy.   Know what you would like listeners to believe,  understand or do after you’ve told the tale.  For example,  if you want to convince a prospective client that you offer superior service,   perhaps write a story about how you worked through a holiday weekend,  so that a critical deadline would be met.

When you tell that story,  describe first why the goal of excellent service had to be met,  its importance to the client.  Then spell out the obstacles you overcame to achieve it.   Add a little drama to your story to encourage listeners to identify with the client and picture themselves in his/her shoes.   Remember to keep your story uncomplicated and easy to follow.

When writing your stories,  be mindful that there will be a beginning,  middle and end.  A well-designed story also has a person who must do or confront something;  a place,  where the action will occur; a time frame,  so that listeners can distinguish between “then” and “now”; and a hint of its direction,  to allow listeners to anticipate the outcome.

Be sure to identify and describe the turning point in your story,  the decision you made that made it possible  to achieve the goal.  Take special care not to confuse the turning point with the end of the story,  however.  The turning point triggers the successful outcome that makes the happy ending possible.  The end of the story,  the culmination,  describes how that goal was achieved.  Describing how the goal was achieved paints the picture of the take-away you want to leave listeners with,  namely that you provide superior service every time,  especially when the client needs it most.

Storytelling is a powerful business tool,  one that enriches business conversations and presentations as we communicate with listeners in both an emotional and intellectual fashion.  Stories help us to explain new ideas and concepts,  win support for projects and convince prospects to become clients.  Learn the art of building and relating stories and make clients know why they want to do business with you.

Thanks for reading my story!

Kim

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Ace the Thank You Letter

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The month of August seems to have put me on a business etiquette soapbox,  so I’ve decided to conclude the month with a few pointers on how to write a thank you letter.  In business,  one cannot underestimate the importance of expressing thoughts in writing.  It is important for a Freelance consultant to know when and how to properly thank a client or colleague.

Unfortunately,  many people get a little flummoxed by thank you letters.  We know we want to express our thanks,  but we don’t always know what to say.  We don’t want to sound too impersonal and neither do we want to gush.  Keep things in perspective by approaching thank you letters as acknowledgements and understand that they are not entirely different from the email that you write to a client to verify what was discussed and agreed upon in an important meeting.  Best of all,  thank you letters are a lot easier to write.

It is likely that a meeting precipitated the occasion to thank someone and it is best to send your thank you card or letter no later than 48 hours after that meeting.  Rather than sending an email,  show your business etiquette bona fides by using quality stationary or a business note card  (your own personalized stationary or cards have the most cachet) and sending your thank you via the postal service.   A thank you card will be hand written by the sender and a thank you letter will be typed and signed by the sender.  The tone will be friendly,  yet professional.

Begin you note or letter by expressing your gratitude for the meeting  “Thank you for meeting with me on_____”   or “I appreciate that you were willing to meet with me on_____”.   Next,  reference a key point or two that surfaced during the meeting,  such as the usefulness of information shared,  appreciation for a client referral or introduction made,  assistance or advice given,  etc.   I like to send thank you letters to clients when a project has concluded and thank them for awarding me the contract and letting them know how much I enjoyed working with them.  It’s all about relationship building and creating repeat business.

Thank you notes and letters are typically brief.   After you’ve stated the reasons for expressing your thanks,  move toward the close by thanking the recipient again  “Once again,  thank you for meeting with me…”  Set the stage for future contact with  “I look forward to working with you again…”;  “I look forward to seeing you at the _________Conference…”;  or whatever fits the context and your relationship.

Complete your note or letter with a salutation that suits you and the relationship you have with the letter’s recipient:

Best regards

Kind regards

Warm regards

Yours truly

Thank you letters are an important step in relationship building and maintenance and an important building block of your brand,  that is what you are known for and the image you project to others.  I suspect that many in business do not take the time to write thank you letters.  They may think about doing so,  but find the process intimidating.  They procrastinate and then decide that too much time has passed.  Now that the process has been deconstructed,  you’ll be ready to confidently and expertly write a thank you letter to someone who has come through for you.  It’s a small effort and it will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Tame the Technology

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Nonstop information crashing into our consciousness via the 24 hour news cycle,  added to the waves of pings from our social media entourage, has caused a whole bunch of us who live in the internet-connected world to feel pummeled.  Stir in the no-end-in-sight economic bad news to the mix and you’ll understand why Freelancers are feeling unacceptably anxious and overwhelmed.  Our colleagues and clients in the corporate and not-for-profit worlds are feeling that way,  too  (maybe that’s why our emails sometimes go unanswered?).

Freelance consultants are nervous about staying current with market trends and selling cycles as we strive to anticipate fluctuating client priorities and keep contracts in-house.  We fear missing out on something important and that causes us to fear not being on-call nearly 24/7.   The mental fatigue and resulting stress take a toll on peace of mind.

Sherry Turkle,  professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA and founder of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self,  says  “We are struggling with the always-on feeling of connection that the internet can provide,  but we still need to figure out how to limit its influence on our lives.  We sometimes need to get a grip and separate ourselves from the iPhone”.  (New York Times April 17, 2011)

William Powers,  author of  “Hamlet’s Blackberry” (2010),  a book about taking control of your digital life,  appeared on a panel at the 2011 South x Southwest conference in Austin, TX and noted that he witnessed  “…a gigantic competition to see who could be more absent from the people and conversations happening right around them.   Everyone…was gazing into their little devices—a bit desperately,  too,  as if their lives depended on not missing the next tweet”.  (New York Times April 17, 2011)

I hereby suggest that you turn off your toys for a few minutes and let me help you learn how to manage your connections,  rather than be managed by them.  There is a time to  “just say no”  and we can figure that out here and regain control of our schedules,  handle our responsibilities with fewer distractions and increase opportunities for rest and regeneration.

Freelancers fear that if we are not constantly available,  our clients will become upset and lose confidence in us.  We’re afraid that competitors will obtain information that we don’t possess and use it to gain an advantage.  We’re terrified of being perceived as not being on top of things.  Maybe we’ll miss out on a good assignment,  an opportunity to shine and bring in some good billables?  Yet those who study the effects of stress and fatigue on productivity and creativity recommend that we find some downtime,  to recharge the batteries and calm the mind.  It is wise to set boundaries and unplug.

Try this strategy on for size: unless you’re on a big project,  Monday – Friday,  turn your phone off at 6:00 PM and check email and phone messages just once during the evening.   Start your day with a check-in by 7:00 AM.  On weekends,  check for business-related messages just twice a day,  in mid-morning and late afternoon.   Draw a definitive boundary between your working hours and personal time.

Revisit the practice of off-line communication.   Because there is such an intense focus on online social media as a basis for networking,  the value of face-to-face interaction,  or even live telephone conversation,  becomes increasingly valuable in cementing our relationships.   When working with a client,  pick up the phone every once in a while to discuss an issue that you’d like to clarify.  If you’ll be near a client’s office,  extend an invitation to come out and meet for coffee.  It will go a long way in building the relationship and will make working together more effective and pleasant.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Professional Development , , 6 Comments

Buff Up Your Business Writing Skills

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Freelance consultants are called upon to do quite a bit of writing.  When we meet a professional contact we’d like to know better,  we send an email to schedule a time to meet and talk further.  We write proposals that help us obtain assignments.  We write press releases,  our bio,  our LinkedIn summary,  thank you letters and sometimes diplomatically written reminders for payment from slow-paying clients.  Some of us write articles,  blogs and newsletters,  too.

Nevertheless,  many of us are a little insecure about our writing ability.  Writing is an important skill.  Written communication helps one to advance and achieve business goals.  It reflects our expertise and our etiquette.  Good writing gets things done,  but it’s not necessary to emulate Pulitzer Prize winning novelists when called upon to express oneself in writing.  All you have to be is a good technician,  not a literary star.   Buff up your writing prowess by following a few easy-to-follow tips:

Purpose     Be very clear about what you must communicate.  A proposal must describe the services that you will provide and persuade the client of your ability to provide those services  (i.e., sell).  When your proposal is accepted,  you write a letter of agreement.  An email might document a meeting or conversation,  or provide follow-up info that was requested.  A press release gives pertinent info about an event or an announcement,  that is expressed in a way that will interest the target audience.

Bullet points     Help yourself complete and organize your message by jotting down the important talking points.  For example, the bullet points of a proposal will describe the services you will provide and benefits that will be derived.  Presenting information in bullet points makes for easy reading and retention.

Format     Once you have your information complete and logically organized,  you might decide to use your bullet points to form paragraphs,  or present the information primarily in bullets.  If you choose the latter,   you’ll want to write at least one opening and one closing paragraph,  so you’ll come across and friendly yet still professional.  Thank you letters,  however,  are generally written in paragraphs and not bullets,  because they are personal and call for a warm and friendly style,  even in business.  Long and ornate sentences are never necessary,  or even desirable.  Clear and simple sentences always work best in business communications.

Edit     Make a draft of what you must write and then begin to edit your work.  After an initial edit,   I like to let my writing rest for a while and then return to it.  Stepping away for even an hour helps me to eliminate wordiness,  provide clarity and continuity,  improve my word choices or add something important that I’ve forgotten.

The task of writing need not be intimidating.  We write when we have a purpose:  to say thank you,  request or recommend a certain action,  announce a decision,  submit a proposal.  Writing is all about being understood and getting results.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Professional Development , Leave a comment

How You Say What You Say

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If you want to get your way,  then you must be persuasive.  To make friends is to persuade,  to receive help is to persuade,  to get a date is to persuade.  To sign a client is to persuade,  to negotiate is to persuade.  To sell any idea,  product or service is to persuade others of its relevance,  quality and value.

The ability to communicate ones’ needs,  thoughts and opinions is a cornerstone of a successful life.  It is vitally important to know what to say and how to say it as you expertly customize the message for its recipient.

I do not advocate manipulative behaviour,  however.  The idea is to get what you want in a way that creates a positive outcome,  with all parties feeling good about the exchange and no one feeling bullied,  resentful or exploited.  Persuasion is about how we frame and deliver our desires,  proposals or assertions and we must be respectful of others.

Tone of voice,  that is delivery,  is a big factor in persuasive communication.  Anger,  sarcasm and condescension are unlikely to facilitate persuasion.  Delivery that is perceived as hostile causes those on the receiving end to become defensive and mired in reacting to your style,  losing sight of your content in the process.  You’ll be treated as if you are wrong even if you are right  and you will lose.

To inspire you to pay attention to certain aspects of your communication style,  I offer here a few suggestions that will lead you to improve your powers of persuasion:

Avoid  “always”  and  “never”

Substitute  “often”  and  “rarely”  instead.  There are many people who will reject a reasonable assertion out of hand,  without taking its full measure,  when you frame and present opinions in dogmatic,  absolutist terms.

Lead with the positive

When disagreeing with another’s point of view,  it is natural for many of us to immediately,  perhaps vociferously,  take exception to that opinion or interpretation of fact.  Whenever possible,  promote persuasion by finding some common ground,  some point upon which parties can agree.  Soften your rejoinder and offer up a soupcon of validation,  maybe like this  “I know some people feel that way,  yet based on my knowledge and experience,  I’ve come to view the matter in this light…”  Call it smoothly handling an objection.

Don’t complain,  but do explain

Rather than criticize and complain that someone is wrong,  tell that person what behaviour or action is preferred or necessary and why that is so.  Reframe your complaint or criticism as a request,  delivered respectfully,  perhaps in this way  “When you arrive late to our meetings,  it makes others feel that our sharing of information is unimportant to you,  that you do not value the process.  Is the time frame inconvenient for you?  What can be done to get you here on time so that all parties can be present to address important agenda items?”

Thanks for reading and Happy Thanksgiving,

Kim