30 second introduction
The joys of a 30 second infomercial
Those of us in small business who have ever thought about joining a networking group or attending a networking event will have faced the question: “What do you do?” Probably we have all sat in line as the creeping death of everyone else’s introduction works it’s way inexorably around to us. Maybe we have had the experience of the group leader saying: “OK, let’s all give our 30 second infomercials and we will start with……..Jerry.”
However familiar we are with giving our well practiced speech there is always a slight frisson or excitement in this process. Perhaps we are one of the last to speak and by the time it gets around to us there have been three other people in a similar line of business who have already explained why they have the best products and the best customer service. So, what do you say that makes you stand out?
Think about your best testimonial - that is the place to start
In my experience most people answer the “what do you do” question literally i.e. with a list of what they do. The difficulty with this is it makes you sound the same as everyone else and it is all about YOU. Think about the best client testimonial you have received. If it is in writing go back and look at it again. If not, you might like to talk to your best client and ask them again what they love about you, specifically.
I bet you won’t see many testimonials that include things like: “He had services I had never heard of before” or “What clinched it for me was she was based on 103rd street” or “I’ve never met anyone else who has been in business a combined 55 years - wow!”
Now I am being flippant and exaggerating for effect BUT I have heard all those statements made as reasons to do business in a 30 second introduction.
So what is in a testimonial that I can use?
Usually testimonials include how you made someone’s life better, or a particular unique feature you provided to your client but it will be about them. How you helped, what you did that improved their life etc. Look more deeply than comments about great customer service and find out what that means specifically - took away worry, helped me sleep at night, solved a frustrating problem. There is your uniqueness and there is how you can help other people who match your ideal client profile.
Hint: Stop talking about yourself and base your message on what your clients get personally from the experience of working with you.
Tags: 30 second infomercial, 30 second introduction, attention getting message, attention grabbing message, networking