Elevator Speech, what floor are you on?

This past Sunday, my husband and I were getting ready to attend a summer festival so I threw a few business cards in my bag along with sunscreen, sunglasses and water. You never know when you’ll meet a potential client.



So off we go to the festival and within the first thirty minutes amid the crowds and noise I spy my husband chatting with a gal on a bike. As I move closer I see it is Karen (not her real name), an acquaintance of ours. I walk over and listen to the conversation; they are telling each other what they have been up to for the past few years. As they chat Karen turns to me and I get this feeling like a deer in the headlights, I have been thinking about my elevator speech but nothing comes out. I reach into my bag and pull out a business card which I hand to Karen.



Karen reads the card and says, “Oh you’re a virtual assistant, I could use a virtual assistant, what is it you like to do?”



Mouth open but nothing coming out, my dear husband tells Karen about a recent project I worked on. “Logistics” I mumble, “I worked on logistics.” Then I blurt out something about project work and web pages but it is weak and forgettable.



Number one place I went wrong, “prepare, prepare, prepare. It takes time and hard work to get to the point where your speech is concise, clear and comfortable yet relates just the right amount about your business and personality to set you apart.



I am no expert but that day I was in the basement when it comes to an elevator speech.