Open Your Introduction With A Firecracker Moment


The number one requirement, whether you are a business owneror an employee, is to be able to say what you do, and say itwith influencing results. Through testing, I have seen,experienced, and received feedback that an elevator speechno longer works. My test results show that elevatorspeeches are too slow and too boring. People know what'scoming and have mindfully tuned out it out before the firstsentence. Elevator speeches don't stop the listener intheir moment, which is exactly what you need to do. Anintroduction that starts with a firecracker impact does stopthem in their moment.

Pitching what you do needs energy -- energy in your voiceand body language. The same energy you have if you'repitching your screenplay to an agent or getting a largecrowd's attention. Elevator speeches have become overprocessed and passive. People only notice if you give apoor one and that is because they measured it against theirown. A good introduction, without a firecracker beginning,doesn't stop them in their moment.

You want them to remember you and your answer for a longtime. Not just 10 minutes, the next day when they call youto pitch you, but next week, next month, when somethinghappens and their pain appear. Better yet, when they aretalking to someone else and see the pain-solution results.They see you as the answer. A firecracker stays with peoplefor quite some time. Where were you the last time you sawfireworks? Once triggered, I'm sure you remember the day,the time, and whom you were with quite quickly.

You will want to create a memorable firecracker introductionthat you can use everywhere -- in any introduction, anysituation, as the key point of every presentation, voice-mail message, e-mail signatures, slogan on a business cardoreven as a headliner on your website home page.

Let's learn this process together by beginning with a fewexamples I created. These examples will also give you hintson how you can open your pitches with a firecracker moment.Pitches that change people's moments ? ignite a firecrackerunder their assets.

Let's assume you are at a networking event and someone asks,"What do you do?" You can open in one of several waysdepending on the function and what you thought wouldintrigue people attending this event. The introduction mustalways lead to getting them to act on only one call toaction. If your call to action is to sell space in anupcoming workshop, you don't promote your consultingservices. Multiple action calls will dilute your message.Even worse, they confuse your listener.

Consider crafting several, still staying within the singlecall to action, by changing the wording ever so slightly sothat it doesn't sound memorized just in case others areclose enough to over hear you. This also works if you aretesting to find the best language.

Always make the first sentence a declarative statement: "Iperform miracles. Not the religious type, of course, thebusiness type. Entrepreneurs, like [current or pastclient] and [another current or past client], hire me tomake their marketing more attractive and pull in clients. Ihelp them become a human magnet, drawing new businesses tothem like bees make honey."

It is important for the very first sentence be short anddeclarative. Declarative doesn't ask, it asserts. Now stopfor a few minutes and play with some ideas of your own. Bebold when playing; write with the energy of a firecracker.

A second method would be to open with a declarativequestion. Actually there isn't any such thing as adeclarative question in grammar, so bare with me as Istretch a declarative statement. A declarative question iswhen you ask them a question but not for them to answer butwith a declarative prowess. "Have you ever seen a speakerso dynamic and engaging that you forget where you are?Someone who teaches with inspiration, hypnotizes theiraudience, empowers people to act, all the while filling theatmosphere in the room with love. Then you haven'texperienced me."

The first two sentences will determine whether they arelistening. A firecracker intro guarantees that you willsnap them out of their moment. If you find that theseopeners are too bold, you have my permission to continue tolet people be in their own moment and keep trying to get aregular elevator speech to work.

Marketing expert, Catherine Franz, is a columnist and authorof thousands of articles on this and similar topics.Additional articles and newsletters are available at theAbundance Center or on Catherine's blog:http://www.abundancecenter.comblog: http://abundance.blogs.com