Laura Allen
The 15 Second Pitch
Not your ordinary elevator pitch, Laura’s fail-safe formula was developed after analyzing extensive research. Follow these steps to craft your own, practice it on a friend or two, and then take it out for a spin at your next event.
Step 1: State who you are, which is essentially your name.
Step 2: Explain what you do for a living—but make sure to be direct and specific. Don’t try to be flashy or creative which can confuse your listener.
Step 3: State why you are the best at what you do. But don’t just say “I’m the best financial advisor…”. Instead, give an example that is going to set you apart from the competition and show how you are the best.
Step 4: Provide a call-to-action. What do you want the person to do next based on what you have just told them? For example, say check out my latest film clip at www.xyzsite.com, or send me your email and I’ll send you a free sample of our fat-free cookies.
Have a pitch for every niche! If you’re a financial advisor, a part-time yoga instructor and your long-term goal is to open up a bed and breakfast in Maine, be sure to craft 15-second pitches for each of these. Don’t dump them all into one.
Tailor it to your audience. Be prepared to change your pitch and/or your call to action. Your pitch to Donald Trump might be very different than your pitch to Martha Stewart.
Know when not to pitch. If you’re not really working on anything that would be directly relevant to somebody, you don’t want to waste their time.
For examples of the 15-second pitch check out www.15secondpitch.com.
Online vs. Face-to-Face Networking
March 2010
When it comes to networking, you may prefer face-to-face encounters over using social networking tools, or vice versa. Laura Allen, co-founder of 15SecondPitch, explains the pros and cons of each and when to use one instead of the other.
Face-to-Face Networking
Pros
You can see them.
Sure it may be obvious, but it’s a key advantage that gets lost in the digital age. When face-to-face you’re able to look directly at the person, hear their voice, and interpret their body language, a powerful tool that can shed light on their personality. Also, by meeting a person in real life, you can gage a sense of their interests and values by observing what they’re wearing or carrying, or by what they order for lunch.
You can enlist support.
It’s always easier to talk about someone else. At a networking event you can team up with a friend or colleague and pitch each other. You can be much bolder and more outgoing when pitching your friend–if you were to gush about yourself in the same way, it can come off as arrogant.
Cons
First impressions can be misleading.
If someone comes off as arrogant or disinterested, it may just be because they are shy or nervous. You might quickly judge them and write them off, when in fact they could be a worthy contact. And if you’re the shy one, it can be tough and terrifying to make connections during face-to-face encounters.
It can be costly.
Some events can run anywhere from $60 to $100 and it takes a lot of time out of your day to get dressed up, travel to the event, and mingle for two hours. To conserve your resources, pick a networking group that you really like and consistently attend their events. People will get to know you and think of you when they have an opportunity for you, even if it’s three months from now.
Online Networking
Pros
It’s there for you 24/7.
No need to wait for next month’s mixer to make a connection—the greatest advantage of online networking is that you can do it anytime day or night. If someone sends you a LinkedIn request or an email, you can do some background research on them before you decide to accept them into your network.
You have a greater reach.
The internet lets you connect with people all around the world that you might never have gotten the chance to meet in person. Plus, keeping up-to-date with people you’ve already networked with is extremely easy thanks to everyone’s status updates – you instantly know who started a new job or what event they’ll be speaking at next.
Cons
It can become obsessive.
Interestingly, the fact that it’s available to use twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week is also one of the downsides of online. There’s always something happening in your networks, and it’s hard to find a balance between online networking and actually finishing your work.
You don’t get the full picture.
Meeting new people online can pose a problem since it can be hard to know what the person is really like. They can look great online, but in person they can be completely different.
It leads to laziness.
If you get overly comfortable with online networking, you may become lazy about keeping in touch with real-life contacts. You may stop picking up the phone or planning lunch meetings with contacts, which can negatively impact the strength of your relationships.
Bottom Line: Whether you prefer online networking to face-to-face or the other way around, it’s important to incorporate both into your networking practices in order to reap their individual benefits and maximize your networking potential.