30 Second Introduction - Common Mistakes to Avoid

Networking is a fundamental marketing tactic for many small business owners and independent professionals. Any networking event, organized or open format, virtually guarantees that you will be asked: "What do you do?" at some stage. In a structured referral group this is built into the agenda - the 30 second introduction is everywhere.

30 seconds isn't long to tell everyone what you do but it is plenty long enough to grab their attention and encourage them to ask you for more information. However it doesn't always work that way! Here are some of the common introductions you will likely hear. None of these is necessarily "wrong" but there may be better ways to introduce yourself.

1. "I work for (Insert company)" - this may be OK, especially if the company name gives a clue as to your area of work. However if you are expecting all to be clear when you mention who you work for, this may be unrealistic. Even if they know of the company, you are leaving it to your audience to decide what that means. Often this opening statement is followed by:

2. "We are based on the corner of 1st Street and Main" - for some businesses (retail for example) this may be important information. For many businesses though, especially those that provide a service, this is superfluous, doesn't aid your cause and is using up your time! Unless it is critical to the service you deliver AND adds value, your location is best left out.

3. "We've been in business 35 years with a combined 100 years of experience" - you are assuming this is a good thing and it may be, however it doesn't get to why your prospect might want to do business with you. The time you have spent in business is about YOU and not about THEM. You need the focus on them.

4. "We have the best solutions and the best customer service in our industry/city/market niche" - the problem with this is that it doesn't make you stand out. Think about what your competition is saying because that is what your prospects are hearing. Is anyone saying they have mediocre business solutions and poor customers service that is second to many? No, or course not. Therefore they are saying the same thing and most likely believe it to be true as passionately as you do.

In combination these are common introduction formats and use up the bulk of time allocated informally, or at a meeting. A couple of things are happening here:

a) All these messages are about YOU - your services, where you are located, your experience. There is a fundamental mindset shift in making the message about YOUR PROSPECT but it is the key to grabbing their attention. People are looking for solutions to their problems, issues and challenges. Not obsessively maybe, but they want to work with people who are passionate about what they do and understand the problems they are facing. Take the time to understand your ideal client (not just any client) and what these issues are for them.

b) People are very adept at filtering out messages that don't resonate. If you sound like the last 3 business contacts who introduced themselves the same way, you will not stand out and the question is: "Why would I use you? You all sound the same". This is not the road to grabbing attention.

So how do you change this around?

The first step is to acknowledge the situation assuming you are not getting the attention you desire. If it is working, do more of it! If it isn't, there is a way to change it as follows:

Instead of introducing yourself with a variation on the above, start with your name and "we work with........."  In the blank fill in the definition of your ideal client definition. Think about those you love to work with or those you set up the business to serve. The more specific the better.

Follow that up with: "Who (have this specific issue, challenge or problem they want to solve)". Again, this is your ideal client and talks to the issues they are facing on a day to day basis.

This format will only take 10-20 seconds to deliver yet it is very powerful. Few other people introduce themselves this way and therefore you will stand out. Because it is about THEM your audience or listener will know if it is intended for them or someone they know. That is key to having them identify themselves to you and want to enter into further dialog which is, the goal of your introduction!

Jerry Smith is the co-founder of Marketing Action Club, focusing on small service based businesses and independent professionals who want to grow but struggle to attract quality clients consistently.

Visit http://www.marketingactionclub.com for more resources on how to market your small business effectively

Robert Van Es