When you go to a network meeting & get an opportunity to stand up and give your 60 second or two minute schpeel about your company do you find yourself rambling on or just rattling off a long list of services?

Do you wish people would come up to you afterwards, wanting to use your services?

Here's something different that I tried at a networking event this morning. After introducing myself and my company name, I gave the audience a great tip to help them (or at least some of them) with organising their emails in Outlook. I finished off by saying, "if you want some help with this then I'll be happy to help you. Just come and see me afterwards."

Guess what! A lady come up to me afterwards and asked me for some help setting up her Outlook.

The moral here is that by giving something out we not only add value to our business, but we also get something in return.

From now on, when I stand up and do my 60 second stint, I'll be finishing off with a useful tip and then offering to help anyone who needs assistance in implementing that tip.

Hope this helps,

Regards,

Jason.

__________________
Jae Alexander Linsey
Creative Design & Business Support

Jason, you are just plum full of great ideas! I have done the same thing. Education-vs-selling, you are not giving your business way, you are generating business. I received a project from a networking member a couple of weeks ago. She recently called me and asked me to look at a flyer she created to see if it needed anything. I did, gave her an idea and that was it. A person said that I should charge consulting fees. I felt that I was expanding my business (because she will tell the group how helpful I was), instead of being greedy.

It is just like when we send out a newsletter, by giving them marketing tips it will help them. They may come to you for more information or help on the subject. It opens the door.

Last thing, make sure you change your commercial and give it focus. Most of us provide many different services. Don't just list all that you do like Jason mentioned. Focus on one service per time (Today's focus is on email organization... or keeping in contact with your clientele...). By doing this you are letting them know what to look for to give you referrals and they may do the "oh, I didn't know you did that".

__________________
Erika Glem
www.advadminsol.com Let my administrative solutions be to your advantage.

That's a great idea Jason, I'm going to use it at my networking meeting tomorrow

__________________
Karen James
Cloud VA

Originally Posted by pass audio

That's a great idea Jason, I'm going to use it at my networking meeting tomorrow

Hi Karen,

I'm glad you found the tip of use. all the best with your networking meeting. I hope it goes well. I'd love to know what tip you use too.

Regards,

Jason

__________________
Jae Alexander Linsey
Creative Design & Business Support

Hi Jason - what a great idea, thank you for sharing. I will definitely use this approach at my next networking event.
Thanks again!
Susan

Hi Jason,

This is a wonderful networking hint.

Can you say what that Outlook tip was? (curious)

Thanks!

Janine

__________________
New VAs: I personally recommend Become A Virtual Assistant to Get Started!

This completely makes sense and goes with the saying "The more you give, the more you get"

__________________
www.sageva.com
Shelley Halpain,

Great advice, thanks so much... I will definitely be putting this info. to good use!

__________________
Marjorie
www.aysvirtualsolutions.com

Hi Jason

I think the tip really worked well ... i worked it into my elevator speech and said instead of putting all those business cards into a drawer and forgetting about them it's more useful to enter them into the contacts file on Outlook and a VA could help them with this. I'm definitely going to try and come up with a new tip each time.

__________________
Karen James
Cloud VA

Great advice Jason,

I too employ this strategy because others engage more when they know what you can provide them not what you do. I focus my tips on the group attendees but usually it is an organization tip since that is where most need to begin.

__________________
Lee Drozak
My Office Assistant

You always have such great advice Jason. Thank you so much for sharing

Andrea

__________________
Action Jackson Virtual Assistant|

What a great tip! Thanks for the info!

Thanks for sharing this idea. I just finished a Toastmasters class that focused on business introductions. They suggested something similar. They suggested a brief survey of clients and prospects to find out what was most frustrating to them, then gving a "picture this" intro explaining how I could help the problem go away! Adding a tip would be great also.

__________________
Sheila Burt

Jason, wonderful advice. I have given out tips before too, but never thought to work it into my elevator speech, and then offer help on the tip if needed. Love love love that. I am going to start implementing this - Thanks ~ Norma

__________________
~ Norma Guerin
DSA Virtual Assistant Services

Jason,

Thanks for the tip. I will not only try this at my next networking meeting and meetings with Brokerages; but I will also tell my clients to do the same.

Thanks again.

__________________
Ness, REPA
www.NessLindsay.com