It’s the short and sweet explanation of what you do for a living that you give when someone asks. And… it is your carefully thought out self-promotion. It’s called an elevator speech because it should be short enough to say between floors if you’re talking with someone on an elevator.

I’d heard of an elevator speech, but hadn’t thought much about it until I started trying to give sensible answers to people about “what I was doing these days.” Everyone in town knew me as a real estate broker, and even after several years, some people don’t know that I don’t do that any more.

If they have no need to buy and sell real estate, why would they know that I’m not there?

I’m not expecting to get copywriting business from the people I meet in the grocery store, but you never know. So it’s a good idea if I can convey what I do without causing any confusion. When you say copywriter, most people think of copy rights, not of writing.

You probably have a less confusing career description. For instance, you may be a real estate sales person. Even so, when someone asks what you do, it’s not enough to just say “I sell real estate.” Instead, you need to convey the benefit of doing business with you.

For instance, you could say “I help first time buyers find homes they can afford and be comfortable in.” Or, in today’s real estate market, you could say “I’m a real estate agent, specializing in getting short sales closed.”

In other words, leave the other person with the knowledge that you help someone achieve their goals – not just that you make a living selling something.

What if you have some other career? You might be a hairdresser, or a mechanic, or the owner of a small business that sells local handicrafts.

Whatever you do, it benefits someone. A hairdresser could say “I make people more beautiful by giving them perfect haircuts.” A mechanic could say “I keep people’s cars running in tip-top shape and save them from expensive break-downs.” The owner of that store could say “I help local crafters present their wares to the buying public at my shop on Main Street.”

So stop and think about what you do, and who benefits because you do it. Then work on putting that into no more than 3 sentences. Once you know what you should say the next time you’re asked, write it down and look at it every day. Memorize it. Say it out loud until it comes naturally.

Oh, and be sure to keep a few business cards in your pocket. That person who asked just might be interested in doing business with you, and you don’t want to scramble around looking for a paper and pen. There isn’t time for that between floors on the elevator.

It’s as if we’re all defined by our jobs, so that’s the first thing anyone wants to know about us.

(No wonder the millions out of work now that the stimulus package has “worked so well” are having a tough time emotionally. They feel like they’ve become nobody!)

But I digress… back to this week-end.

Whatever you do, I’m sure you’re not Bernie Madoff, so you are helping people in some way. Put that firmly in your mind, so that you won’t feel hesitant to promote yourself to every new person you meet.

You don’t have to be pushy. Just write and rehearse an “elevator speech” that you’ll use for an answer every time someone says “What do you do?”

Be concise, so they’ll understand instantly. When I first turned to copywriting full time I used to say “I’m a copywriter.” Well, that was dumb – nobody knows what that is. If they guess, they think I do legal work to secure rights to books or music.

So  now I say “I write letters, emails, web pages, and other marketing materials to help other people build their businesses.”

Even though it feels silly, after you write your speech, tell it to the mirror, your kids, your spouse, your dog – until it feels natural and you know you’ll say it automatically when someone asks.

Next – put a handful of business card in your pocket. When you’ve conversed with someone about your work and their work (be sure to ask about them – show some interest!) then hand them your business card. Depending upon what they’ve said you can ask them to pass it along to anyone you could help, or tell them you’ll be glad to help them. Be sure to ask for their cards in return, and let them know that you’ll pass it along to anyone they can help.

This week-end’s good time could result in new business for you – so don’t be afraid to get out there and let new people know how you can help them.

Wishing you success,

Marte

P.S. As you plan for this holiday, be sure to plan for keeping your pets safe. When I worked in animal rescue the week after the 4th was a heartbreaker. So many people took their dogs along on a camping trip or left them at home in the yard – and never saw them again.

Pets are frightened by the noise and the lights, and they run, and run, and run… until they’re so lost that they never find their way home.

Keep your dogs and cats in the house, and give them a place to hide. If you’re going away for the week-end and won’t have a place to keep them safe, spend the money to put them in a kennel. They won’t like it, but at least they’ll still be alive and at home on Monday.