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Articulating Your Message
Published on 16 Mar 2007 at 9:21 pm.
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Filed under Business Development,Feature Articles.
Yesterday morning I attended a strategic networking meeting. This particular meeting is by invitation only and the purpose is to provide a venue for a smaller group of business people (about 12) to get to know each better. The people invited are thoughtfully hand picked and represent complimentary businesses that might naturally lead to referrals and strategic alliances. Each person is offered 3-4 minutes to introduce themselves to the group. Pretty smart idea, huh?
The introduction protocol is:
- Who are you and your business?
- What do you do? Namely, the product or services you provide.
- What do you need in your business from the group?
- Any specific challenges or hurdles you’re facing you’d like feedback on?
Pretty straight forward, right?
Now the key is to really know what you do and have the ability to articulate your unique value to the listener. They’re listening for, “What’s in it for me? How is your business a value to me?” In other words, “Why should I care?” Well, duh, that’s what you’re listening for. THE BENEFITS!
So the introductions began and a few of the people really delivered a succinct message. And then the third person started to speak following the protocol. She was all over the place. For over three minutes I listened to her ramble on about three different businesses she was pursuing, challenges she was facing, some success stories, on and on - d’ya get the picture? I finally asked her what she needed and she rambled on for another two minutes and never answered the question. I admit that 3/4 of the way through her intro; I had already zoned out and stopped really listening. Rambling for me is an endless string of words that just keep going.
Hey, I’m guilty of that myself sometimes.
That usually happens when people are nervous and/or don’t have a strong grasp of the subject. Believe me, that comes across to the listener in some way. The result is that the speaker loses credibility by lacking the ability to communicate effectively.
If you relate to this story, get working on articulating your message or what you’ll be telling folks is, “I have no idea what unique value I provide for people.” Yeah, that’s a great message.
Ok. Let me repeat something I’ve talked about to help you get a clear idea of the benefits. If you are unsure about what benefits you provide, go and ask your clients and customers why they work with you? Find out what problems you solve for them. That’s a place to start.
Now, while you’re working on getting those answers and refining your message, here are some pointers to help you in those initial conversations.
- Maintain eye contact. Smile while you are speaking. In this way, people will feel you are present with them.
- Choose a deliberate attitude of warmth and openness.
- Reduce “ums” by pacing your words (talk slower) and taking pauses.
- Practice delivering your message in the least amount of excess words. Get to the point.
- Bring your passion into your words. That’s one of the fastest ways you’ll connect with people. They’ll feel your heart even if your words are somewhat unclear.
- Share a success story or an example to make your point.
- Be yourself. Be genuine and real with people. Before people will buy your product or service, they must first buy YOU.
Marketing yourself effectively includes having confidence and clarity so that you can communicate effectively. Keep growing as a person while growing your business. That’s a win-win!
Let me know what you think!
Comments? Bring ‘em on!
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