The elevator pitch. You are probably familiar with the
term. It is most commonly used to describe the concise
60-second speech that business owners and executives, as
well as salespeople, use to describe their business,
product, or service to others. More importantly, it is a
speech that is delivered in a compelling way that describes
what is unique about the business (or offering), describes
the benefits to the target market, and excites interest in
the listener.
So, why should you--the job seeker and career
professional--care about the elevator pitch? If you are
familiar with the concept of personal branding, and the
idea of leveraging your brand to advance and promote
yourself in your career, I'm sure you immediately
recognized similarities between the above description of an
elevator pitch and a personal brand statement.
Personal branding allows you to make a name for yourself.
It differentiates you from your peers and helps to position
you as a leader in your field ' as a specialist and an
authority who knows how to do a job and fill a particular
niche in the workplace better than anyone else. A personal
brand statement is a succinct statement that clarifies and
communicates what makes you and your unique value
proposition different and special.
Your personal brand statement will play a large role in
your 60-second elevator pitch as a job seeker and career
professional. Your entire elevator pitch will be a mini
presentation that you are able to give on the fly in
response to those all-too-common questions "what do you
do?" or "tell me about yourself?" With precision-like
focus, an effective elevator pitch will immediately convey
to the listener who you are as a professional, and will do
it in a way that addresses not only your unique value
proposition, but in a manner that addresses the concerns of
your listener. Of equal importance, while your pitch is
planned and rehearsed, when you actually speak it, it
should sound completely natural and spontaneous, yet it
should leave the listener with a lasting, positive, and
memorable impression. You will use your elevator pitch
frequently, in networking situations and during interviews.
But, once you recognize that crafting an elevator pitch is
essential, you might feel daunted at the prospect of
creating and perfecting one. Certainly, this is a task that
your career coach or the professional that you hired to
create your résumé can assist with. However, with
some introspection and honest self-assessment, developing
your elevator pitch does not have to be difficult. To get
started, ask yourself these essential questions:
1. What is the focus of your search? What is your job
target?
2. Who is the person/people most likely to make a hiring
decision about you?
3. What are the problems faced by your target audience?
4. What is it that you are offering that would solve these
problems?
5. What is it that differentiates you and makes you
different from your peers?
6. What are the benefits of your work as experienced by
your target audience?
To create your elevator pitch, you now must put these
elements all together in a brief presentation that you can
deliver quickly—in the time it would take you to get
from one floor to the other in an elevator.
As an example, here is my own "branded" elevator pitch that
I developed to concisely describe my work as the executive
director of Distinctive Career Services.
"You know how some career professionals miss out on really
great employment opportunities, or don't advance as quickly
in their careers as they would like, or don't get paid the
compensation they deserve, all because they don't really
know how to differentiate themselves in their careers or
promote themselves effectively in the job market?
Well, I am a career coach, personal branding strategist,
and career marketing professional—one of just a few
people worldwide with this unique blend of expertise. In my
business, which is internet-based and global, I provide a
mix of innovative products, programs, and services
delivered to six-figure+ and aspiring six-figure+
professionals, managers, and executives. All my offerings
are designed specifically to empower my clients to promote
and market themselves effectively, opening doors and
enabling potential to achieve their highest career
ambitions and goals.
The benefits are that my clients dramatically reduce the
time and money they spend job searching, rapidly advance
their careers, boost their incomes, enjoy greater
professional recognition, and overall, establish themselves
in careers that are more professionally, financially, and
personally rewarding."
Once you have the answers to the six simple questions
above, you have everything you need to create a similar
elevator pitch for yourself. Do you see how I have taken my
own answers to the questions and interspersed them
throughout my pitch? I've clearly communicated who my
target market is, have identified the problems and
challenges that they face, have conveyed how my offering is
not only unique but solves those problems, and I've
described the key benefits that my offerings produce.
You can use this same model to develop your own elevator
pitch. But remember; don't go into too much detail. Your
goal is simply to pique interest and make yourself
memorable. Don't spend too much time on the details of your
qualifications. Just quickly highlight them and tie them
back to how they benefit your target audience (current or
future employer).
Once you have your pitch perfected, practice it, practice
it, and practice it some more. Your goal is to have it
sound completely natural. Rehearse in front of a mirror and
be aware of your body language and eye contact, as these
aspects of communication often speak even louder than
words. Now, try your pitch out a few times and observe the
response to the listener. Be open to the prospect of
adapting and modifying as necessary to elicit the response
you want to generate. And, of course, be flexible. If your
listener interrupts with a question, be ready to pause and
answer it.
Creating your elevator pitch may take some time and
thought, but it is a wise career professional who invests
in it! You will hear the "what do you do?" or "tell me
about yourself?" questions over and over, both during your
job search and throughout your entire career. Don't wing
it! Preparation is the key to confidence and the key to
making a lasting, positive, and memorable first impression.
The benefits to your career will be phenomenal. It is well
worth the effort!
----------------------------------------------------
Nationally certified resume writer and career coach,
Michelle Dumas is the director of Distinctive Career
Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents
http://www.distinctiveweb.com and her Executive VIP
Services http://www.100kcareermarketing.com
Michelle has
empowered thousands of professionals all across the U.S.
and worldwide. Michelle is also the author of Secrets of a
Successful Job Search http://www.job-search-secrets.com
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