The art of creating a memorable (non-boring) business introduction - Part 2

You love to network! We’ll maybe that’s a bit overstated, yet you realize how important it is for your business to make great connections.

How to introduce yourself -- yet keep the focus on the other person and not say too much about your company -- is part art and part science. The “how’ of networking is really just a study in human nature.

Start by realizing that people are not interested in what you do; they are interested in knowing if they need to know you. In other words, knowing what you can do for them and will it work for them, personally or for their company.

In part 1 of "The art of creating a memorable (non-boring) business introduction," we started with everyone’s biggest fear: what to say when you hear, "It’s great to meet you, what you do?"

The real purpose of an introduction is to quickly summarize how your business helps customers or partners. And, do this in a way that attracts the attention of your ideal target audience.

A better catchphrase is an “irresistible invitation.” It’s time to create your perfect invitation.

Communicate the key problems you uniquely solve. It’s really important to stress your differences and what separates you from the competition. However, not in a “we or me” sort of way. And, not as a feature of your product or service. Highlight the problems your ideal prospects have that you solve much better than your competition.

Have a call-to-action. Finish strong. Let people know what the next step is. Invite them to learn more or even ask if they know others who need your product or service. One of the best ways to do this is to create an arsenal of articles, white papers, ebooks, and other content. When you touch on an obvious hot button just say, “One of our team members who is an expert on [issue you solve] wrote an article on how to approach that. If you give me your card I’d enjoy sending it you. I know you’ll find it to be very useful.” Instead of emailing it, send a hard copy by snail mail with a handwritten note. Then follow-up!

Keep it short. When you try to stuff too much into your introduction your message will get muddled. And, you’ll lose the attention of your audience. Develop two versions of your message -- one of fewer than 100 words, under 30 seconds long, and one with less than 50 words, or about 15 seconds. Why? Shorter is better because us humans have a fleeting attention span and don’t remember much more than a couple of points beyond a handful of seconds. And, on websites, people only skim for key words and phrases.

I recommend that you prepare several versions of your introduction. When speaking, have two statements prepared -- 15 and 30 seconds. For written versions, such as on your website or in an email, make it even shorter -- anywhere from a few words to a single sentence.

Let’s try a “before” and “after” example. Before:

"My name is Frank. I’m the owner of Overtax Solutions and I’m a tax accountant. I’ve been practicing for ten years and can help anyone fight the taxman. Please call me if I can help you."

Yawn!

It sounds like Frank does the exact same thing that every other business in his field does -- at least that’s what we perceive to be true. In addition, the emphasis was on Frank, not his ideal target audience.

If there's good news here it's that the average speaker will take about 12 seconds to say this.

Let’s have some fun and make this more interesting with meaningful points. The only challenge is keeping it brief. Here’s Frank’s introduction created for one-on-one networking situations:

"My name is Frank and I work with small business owners to help them eliminate the confusion and stress of Uncle Sam putting his hand in their pockets. The result is they keep more of their hard-earned money. I recently helped a new client reduce their tax liability by 30% with a simple adjustment in the way they record their expenses. I’d enjoy sending you an article I recently wrote that will help you evaluate your situation and gives pointers on how to maximize your tax advantage."

Definitely not boring!

For the average speaker these 87 words will take about 25 seconds. In a networking event scenario this works for several reasons.

First, it focuses on Frank's target audience and places them in the picture. Also, there’s a “proof” statement that's a mini story, along with a call-to-action.

Next, it works well for those times when a networking leader goes around the room and has everyone give a short introduction. Plus, it accomplishes a very important goal that all irresistible invitations should achieve: it encourages a conversation.

For one-on-one networking the way the above introduction is structured allows for natural pauses where the other person can ask questions such as, "Really, how do you do that?”

This allows you to even shift gears if you sense an interest or positive nod of the head. Go off-script and turn your next sentence into a question -- “Have you known anyone whose business needed to keep more of their hard-earned money, but struggled to stay up-to-date with the complexities of the tax codes?”

Now, you have a conversation going!

What if you’re on stage, writing an email, or creating your website’s homepage? Then only one sentence will do for an introduction. Break it down into four parts: It’s a ______ that does ______ so _______ can ______. What your company sells, what it does (benefit oriented), who it does it for, and the result.

Use your imagination to spice it up a bit to grab the attention of your audience. 

For instance, “Imagine all the resources large companies have to attract, convert, and multiply their customers, then cut up to 90% of that cost to fit a small business budget while still increasing sales up to 50% or more with smart brand to demand marketing.”

Add, "with the help of [your company] our clients achieve this and much more" or simply, "Welcome to [your company]" -- with a call-to-action -- and you're all set.

Be authentic. Be memorable. Be concise with very few details. Be clear as to what sandbox you play in. And don’t forget to invite your audience to take the next step with an irresistible call-to-action.

Ron Stein is President of FastPath Marketing (www.marketing-strategies-guide.com) and the author of the Rapid Impact Marketing & Selling Playbook. As a speaker, coach, and consultant he works with small business owners helping them to accelerate the path between their vision and the actions needed to reach, win, and keep customers. Ron is the creator of the FastPath to More Customers Now! 7-step marketing system based on more than twenty years as a successful business owner, corporate CEO, business development executive, and salesman. He is also a mentor at two nationally recognized business accelerators. Ron offers one-on-one and small group mentoring, conducts seminars, and consults. He can be reached at 727-398-1855 or Ron@FastPathMarketing.com.