|
While working with a new coaching client, I asked to hear
her sound bite. Everyone needs a good sound bite. A sound
bite, sometimes also called an "elevator speech,"
is a 10- to 15-second commercial on what your company does,
offers or stands for. Use it when you meet someone new in
business, use it at networking meetings, and use it on the
telephone as part of your introductory calling script.
Here is the sound bite from my client:
Client: We offer complete marketing solutions.
Wendy: (With eyes glazing over…) Huh?
The idea behind the sound bite or elevator
speech is to communicate clearly, easily and effectively what
you do and why someone else should be interested in what you
do.
I asked my client, if a friend asked her
to explain what she does, would the answer be "complete
marketing solutions"? Probably not. And there's your
litmus test. If a phrase would make a friend think you'd suddenly
lost your mind, don't use it in a conversation with a prospect!
Most likely, it sounds artificial and probably doesn't actually
mean anything. That same phrase may be fine in writing, for
your brochure or web site, but it is not as effective in spoken
language, because written language and spoken language are
different.
These differences come into play when you
are writing an ntroductory calling script. Write your script
down the way that you speak. If your script is in written
language, you will sound phony. Real people do not speak with
capital letters at the start of sentences and periods at the
end. People actually speak more in phrases or fragments, with
pauses and the occasional "ah" or "um..."
Write your introductory calling script with no punctuation
and no capitalization. If there is a point that you particularly
wish to emphasize, underline or highlight it. It is imperative
that you sound real, so you may want to try talking into a
tape recorder, then playing it back and writing down what
you've said.
Try to stay "jargon-free." Every
industry has its own jargon, but you must know and use jargon
appropriately. If your prospect does not understand your industry
jargon, then she will not understand you when you use it!
Instead, become conversant with your prospect's industry jargon—then,
she will see you as an expert who understands her industry
and her issues and concerns.
When you are writing your script, keep in
mind a particular individual to whom you will be speaking.
Picture this person as a friend, as someone who is open and
receptive to what you have to say. Speak to that person as
you would to a friend, and not in formal business language
taken from your company brochure.
I have seen perfectly reasonable, articulate
human beings become stiff, formal and uncomfortable while
trying to speak in a manner they believe to be "businesslike."
They use unwieldy phrases like "complete marketing solutions,"
because someone told them it sounds more professional. It
doesn't. If no one understands what you are talking about,
no one will buy your product or service. Be yourself, and
speak as you would to a friend. Remember your litmus test:
Do not include anything in your introductory calling script
that would make a friend raise an eyebrow.
The very definition of an introductory call
is that you are talking to a stranger. You are telling your
story to someone who knows nothing about you, your company
and your product or service. You must be clear. For the ultimate
test, before you get on the telephone, try role-playing your
script with an eight- or nine-year-old. If that kid does not
understand what you are talking about—no one else will
either.
Wendy Weiss, "The Queen of Cold Calling
& Selling Success," is a sales trainer, author and
sales coach. Her omprehensive program, Cold Calling College,
can be ordered by visiting http://www.wendyweiss.com.
Contact her at wendy@wendyweiss.com.
Get her free e-zine at http://www.wendyweiss.com.
© 2004 Wendy Weiss
www.liwomen.com September
2004
|
