Posts Tagged ‘elevator pitch’

Anyone who is member of my DARE To Be Phenomenal Fan Page knows that every Friday I encourage my fans to shamelessly promote themselves and their business.  Sometimes I ask them to promote something very specific, like a link to their website or blog and other times I ask them to promote someone else.

What I love about this idea is that people really step up to the plate and promote themselves; proudly describing the value behind what they have to offer to their potential clients.  But what I am stunned by is why more people don’t take the opportunity get themselves out there and promote away.

If you are uncomfortable with the idea of promoting yourself, then you’ll enjoy my post today which will give you three tips on how to promote yourself with greater ease.

1.  Promote Yourself with Articles

It doesn’t matter what you do, almost anyone can write an article that engages the reader and provides valuable content that will make you memorable.  Once the article is written it can be promoted through several venues: on a blog, in the newspaper, on your website under an “Free Article” section, in a local publication and on article submission sites.

2.  Promote Yourself by Speaking

There is almost no better way to promote yourself than through speaking engagements. Look for opportunities in your local area to speak at clubs and organizations.  You can find these opportunities by doing a Google search.  I usually devote a portion of my week to looking for speaking opportunities where I can promote myself to the audience.  And even if you are asked not to do a hard sell, which frankly I hate too, your energy, enthusiasm and your great content will have people wanting to work with you.

3.  Promote Yourself When Asked

If you are prompted to promote yourself will you be ready to tell the world what value you provide to your clients?  Remember, it’s not about telling people what you do.  It is about telling people how you can solve their most difficult problems.  It’s about being the solution.

So if you haven’t figured out the best way to express how you are the solution,  get cracking on coming up with a great pitch so that people understand how you can really help them.

Ultimately, that is all they really care about.

In the end, if you don’t promote yourself no one else will.

Imagine this for a moment…you are a new business owner and are at an event where you can learn from some seasoned entrepreneurs.  Someone asks you for your elevator pitch, you spew out a bunch of blah, blah blah leaving everyone in the room dazed and confused.  Someones says: “Who is your ideal client?” and you respond, “Everyone!” with great enthusiasm.

Oh boy!

Sound familiar?

I attend an event very similar to the one I described just the other day.  Although everyone I met had very different issues, the one thing that they all had in common was how unclear they were about where they were going and how they were going to get there. They were unsure who their target market was and more importantly they didn’t express how they helped their potential clients.

What did they lack?

Clarity!  That’s right…clarity!

Without clarity in any given situation its like being lost at sea with no land in sight.  You drift aimlessly around the water’s of confusion in the hope that something will trigger you to move in one direction or the other.  Now you may finally figure it out on your own but I know one thing for sure that going it alone without the support of a mentor or coach will definitely take you  a lot longer to find the direction you are seeking.

Just like the business owners I met the other night, I too lacked clarity when starting my business.  Once I got really clear about what business model I wanted to adopt  my business started to take off!  I got  help from a great coach and mentor which made all the difference.  I stopped wasting my valuable time and instead started focusing and producing the kinds of results that I wanted in my business.

So if you feel lost in that sea of confusion, not sure how to develop your business so that it is fun, authentic and lucrative find a coach who can help you sift through it all and lead you towards a plan that makes sense AND makes you money.