Each
week, NETSHARE hosts Ask the Coach, a phone-in coaching session with
leading career management experts. Here is an excerpt from this week’s session
with our newest expert to join Ask the Coach, Christine
Dennison, The Job Search Coach.
This week’s coach, Chris Dennison, stressed the value of networking and especially tools like NETSHARE, and the need to hone your personal brand in order to make the most of networking tools. You need to be able to impart your brand promise quickly and efficiently when you make a new connection.
Chris also noted that there is a common misconception about the “elevator pitch,” that brief introduction you use to describe yourself when meeting someone new. Most networkers seem to understand that they need to make the elevator speech an effective part of their personal brand as part of their search strategy. However, they do not really understand what the elevator pitch is (and more importantly, what it isn’t).
Many people believe you have to cram your entire career into a short pitch. That’s not the purpose of an elevator pitch. Yes, you should be able to introduce yourself using your elevator pitch at the drop of a hat. And your pitch should be natural and authentic. It also needs to be concise. It is an introductory statement to help you start the conversation. It also should pique the interest of the listener. They should feel compelled to add to the conversation and ask questions. This provides another opportunity for you to provide additional insights into what you offer and where you add value.
The elevator brand statement is the classic sales pitch. There are two forms of sales pitch: the push sell and the pull sell. Most people don’t like to be pushed into something; they would rather be pulled in. By starting a conversation you are the one that can control its direction. By focusing on the listener, you can create a comfortable environment in which you can build a common bond. By starting the conversation you can take charge of the direction of the discussion.
April’s
Experts Connection session
with Ross Macpherson is about “The Top 5 Critical Marketing Tools for
Executives: What Works Today!” and includes the brand statement as part of the arsenal
of essential marketing tools. You also can try out your new brand statement
with other professional on the NETSHARE
networking forums, or join NETSHARE’s LinkedIn
networking group. Your peers can help you refine your message and your brand
strategy.
