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Elevator Pitch: The Ultimate Guide for Business Owners

elevator pitchHow many times are you asked, ‘What do you do?” Do you stumble over your words? Do you struggle with what to say in a concise manner? Having an elevator pitch is a must with any business whether you are a business owner, direct sales consultant, or professional. An elevator pitch is a short, concise conversation detailing how your business will help it’s target market. It was coined an “elevator pitch” due to being able to deliver the pitch in an elevator. A typical elevator pitch is 30 seconds; however, there are situations that arise that call for 7 second pitches and 90 second pitches. It’s imperative to have several pitches ready for various situations.

Where to use your Elevator Pitch!

Elevator pitches are used in so many situations.

1. Business networking events (sit-down formal & happy hour social) Most of the time you are given 30 seconds to deliver your pitch during a sit-down formal networking event, but have your 90 second pitch ready just in case you are allowed to talk longer.  Ninety seconds is meant to provide more concise information.  If you are going off on “tangents” during your pitch, then it will not be effective.

2. Conferences. Have all three pitches ready (7 second, 30 second, and 90 second). Whether you are a vendor or attending a conference, the 7 second pitch and 30 second elevator pitches will be the ones you use the most.

3. When “out and about”. You might find yourself using an elevator pitch at the grocery store, the mall, a children’s event, a sporting event, concert, morning walk, reunion, etc. This starts out as a 7 second pitch and could lead to your 90 second pitch based on their interest.

4. Social Media. Every social media channel has a section to include your elevator pitch

Ask these questions before writing your Elevator Pitch

1. Who is your target market? (Hint: Anyone that has skin is not an answer. Or anyone that has hair is not an answer. That is way too broad.) Narrow your target down to a specific niche.

2. What are you trying to market? Your business, a service within your business, a new book, a new/existing product, new/existing service, etc? Maybe you have a new product, promotion, or service that you are focusing on this month. Be specific. What are the advantages of your product/service? What can you provide? Statistics give your elevator pitch an extra depth of information that potential customers crave because it’s concrete information.

3. Where are you marketing your product – in a particular city, state, country? Online? Worldwide? When some of your audience doesn’t live in a particular city, for example, they can refer your services.

4. How does this product/service help your target market? How will this product service make your target market feel?

5. Statistics provide an extra depth of information within your elevator pitch that can turn your “potential” customer into a customer.

Are you struggling with writing your own elevator pitch?
Click HERE for details detailing our elevator pitch services.

Preparation & Delivery

Once you write your elevator pitch, it’s imperative to work on the delivery. I have heard fantastic pitches that were executed beautifully as well as pitches that were written well but were delivered poorly.  Imagine being at a networking event and one of the pitches given was filled with “um, uh, like”. Then imagine the person says something like, “I’m really nervous” or “this is my first time doing this kind of thing”. I’ve heard it all. And it doesn’t make me want to jump out of my seat and see how their business could help me nor does it make me want to see how I can help them through referrals. In fact, I wouldn’t want to schedule a sit-down based on their lack of confidence and preparation, would you?

Similarly, lack of preparation infers that you are not serious about your business. Fumbling over words gives potential customers the assumption that you lack confidence, don’t know your product/service, and don’t take your business seriously. That’s awful, isn’t it? Because if you are like most business owners, you have spent thousands of hours and thousands of dollars creating your service/product. The last thing you want to do is undervalue or misrepresent your business with a not-so-stellar elevator pitch!


microphone for elevator pitch

Follow these steps for an impeccable delivery:

1. Practice, practice, practice. Your elevator pitch should roll off your tongue without thinking. Personally, my favorite place to practice this is in the car! I will say it over and over and over until I don’t have to think about it anymore. I spend so much time in the car that this just makes sense.

2. Stand in front of a mirror or video-tape yourself to practice more. This provides body language feedback. Watch yourself before you practice your speech then watch yourself after you have it memorized. Notice how your body language changes!

3. Practice in front of your biggest critics or hire a professional to give you feedback. It is better to get feedback on your pitch before standing in front of potential customers!

4. Lastly, smile and enjoy yourself. People want to work with confident, friendly people. It takes 5 seconds to make a great first impression – start with your elevator pitch and blow their mind!

Above all, business owners have so many decisions to make that it can be overwhelming to decide what to spend money on first!  I have worked with incredibly smart business owners that had their product or service ready, their website SEO ready, their office space ready, their home office immaculate, but they needed to fine-tune their elevator pitch to create need, desire, and/or want from their target market.  Click HERE to see our pitch service that could potentially change your business.

Are you struggling with your elevator pitch?  Contact XMstyle for more information.

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First Impression: 5 Style Tips for Business Owners


Style Blazer jacket impressionAs a business owner, you are always “on call”.  It doesn’t matter if you are a small business owner, direct seller, professional – doctor, teacher, lawyer, accountant, engineer, etc – you are representing your business and your personal brand.  Part of that personal brand is the FIRST IMPRESSION that you make on your potential customer/client.  Overall, your first impression consists of appearance, behavior, and communication.

Embarrassing Moment!

I’ll never forget my first embarrassing moment with first impressions.  I was working at a fortune 100 company in California fresh out of college.  We earned one day a month where we could “dress down” but dressing down years ago was not wearing a suit (so I came to learn)!  I showed up at work in dress pants, a blouse and flats thinking I was pretty dressed up.  I happened to be in the elevator with some managers / executives within the company when one woman looked right at me and asked, “Is this your dress down day?”  It was NOT.  I probably turned BEAT RED.  I loved this job and didn’t want to lose it over my attire.  I’ll never forget the conversation. She stated, “This is not part of our regular day dress code.”  I responded, “I thought my outfit was professional.”.  She finishes, “Flats are not professional.   You need a jacket.”  End of discussion.  Elevator opened, thankfully.  While I was embarrassed and annoyed at this woman’s comments, she helped me rethink the way I dressed.  That conversation would never happen again.

Dress Codes are different, First Impressions are the same.

first impression1.  Know your environment.  As a business owner, if your “esthetic” or “business philosophy” is to wear a t-shirt and shorts every day because you want to be comfortable, then that is your right.  You make the rules in your environment.  However, when you are trying to attract new customers / clients, you need to know your audience.
     Example: Let’s say you own an IT business and are trying to get a contract for a local attorney’s office.  Showing up in shorts and a t-shirt is not going to fly.  You want to dress for THEIR ENVIRONMENT.
     Example:  Let’s say you are a direct seller and trying to attract more customers when you are out and about.  Just yesterday, a friend told me about a direct seller offering to try her products.  Later that week, my friend says to me, “why would I ever purchase clothing or accessories from her when she looks frumpy and disheveled every time I see her?”.   Please don’t take this the wrong way.  These are the facts.  It’s human nature.  We create a first impression of someone within 7 seconds.  When you are polished and put together, you give your potential customer the impression that you are confident, knowledgeable, and trustworthy.  Why would you buy any kind of product/service from someone that was disheveled?  My thought process would lead me to believe that they are not going to continue with customer service, know their products, etc.  While this may be far from the truth, IT IS ALL ABOUT THE FIRST IMPRESSION.
2.  Wear a Jacket  Adding a jacket to your outfit gives the impression that you are trustworthy.  Is it any surprise that men have been wearing jackets in the business world for years?   In today’s world, wearing a jacket with jeans, boots, and a blouse can be an amazing outfit.  A long necklace or statement necklace complement the outfit; just CLICK HERE to get more necklace details!
3. Shoes!  Please wear comfortable shoes.  Three years ago, I went to a conference where the speaker was confident, smart, and sharp.  However, she bragged about her name-brand shoes ($500/pair) yet she couldn’t walk in them and told us that!!  I love fancy shoes but if you cannot walk in them, don’t buy them.  Style should not hurt no matter what you learned as a little girl.  Do you walk or take the metro/subway to work?  If so, wear flats!  Based on your foot, find the brand that is most comfortable for you such as Tieks, Me Too, or Coach.  In today’s world, wearing a pair of cute sneakers with your dress on your commute to/from work is totally acceptable.  I would recommended taking a pair of heels or dress shoes to change into at work.  Don’t get stuck in an elevator with a human resources Captain like I did!  Remember, a powerful first impression requires thought and includes appearance, branding, and communication.
4.  Dress for the desired transaction amount.  When meeting someone the first time, in half a second, contact is eye-to-body.  Hence, they notice your clothes before your face.   Many business owners cringe when they hear this because they don’t want to stray from their personality.
A few years ago, I had a young, intelligent client that insisted on wearing jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt when meeting potential clients.  She hired me because she was getting a lot of business appointments, but wasn’t closing any sales.  She was selling a service ranging from $3000 – $15,000 (per month).  While that may not seem like a lot of money to some people, for others it’s their entire life’s savings.  These potential customers needed the whole package from this business owner.  They needed her to convey trust and professionalism.  She wasn’t conveying either.  Why would they trust her with their money and time when she is showing up disheveled, unprofessional, and appearing like she doesn’t care.
This young business owner was sharp and knew her business inside out; however, she gave the impression to her customers that she wasn’t serious about her business.  Of course, she was passionate about her business, creative, intelligent, and had a warm personality.   With all of those fantastic traits, she couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t closing sales.  Once she changed her attire to match her transaction amount, she closed sales.
Trustworthy, Confident, & Knowledgeable
As a business owner, you want your potential customer to take one look at you and know you are trustworthy, confident, and knowledgeable! If you struggle with what to wear when meeting new customers, check out the Style Uniform!
There is a way to show your personality through your wardrobe.  If you struggle with this, please contact me HERE.

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Why Direct Sellers should wear a Style Uniform


Do you struggle with what to wear every day? Do you spend hours trying to figure out what to wear only to have a pile of clothes to hang up? Let’s make your life simple, easy, and fun! A style uniform is exactly what you need.

style uniformIntroducing your Style Uniform

Don’t let the term “uniform” scare you!

A Style Uniform is an outfit consisting of generally the same items.  For example, my uniform consists of the following pieces:  Jeans, Dress shoes/boots depending the season (get cool rain boots too), black shirt/blouse, and a jacket. Similarly, your Style Uniform could be a dress and jean jacket because it’s simple.  Hats, jewelry, and scarves add dimension and fun.   Lastly, your uniform might be black pants, heels, blouse, and a jacket.

Over time, your Style Uniform may change.

I have been donning the same Style Uniform for 10 years.  Of course, I have had to change sizes but the “uniform” doesn’t change. That’s what makes it so easy whether you are leaving early in the morning or afternoon.  I know when my children were young, it was a process just to get ready.  I left the house at 5 style uniformpm after our oldest son arrived home from school.  Between getting the sitter to the house, making dinner, changing diapers, cleaning up the chaos, and putting everything in the car for work, the last thing I needed to worry about was my attire!

The look of a neutral palette is simple yet looks chic.  The business owner on the left wears jeans, t-shirt, and a blazer.  In fact, add a statement necklace with a simple bracelet and her outfit can go from work at home to out on the town!

The Style Uniform is pure magic.

The best part is that you probably have your Style Uniform in your closet.  Organize your uniform then get rid of anything that doesn’t complement it.  – are a large part of my Style Uniform because they allow me to wear neutral clothing every day.  Most often, I rely on accessories (jewelry, shoes, scarf) to provide the necessary pop of color.

style uniformFind YOUR Style Uniform.

Peek inside your closet and choose your favorite outfits. Do they make up a Style Uniform? Or do you spend hours every day choosing your outfit for the day? Are you struggling to find your uniform?  Maybe you need to change your uniform and aren’t sure where to start? Please contact me HERE.

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5 items Direct Sellers MUST take to their National Conference

Have you ever been to your companies’ national conference? If not, GO! Make it a priority in your business to go and soak up all the wisdom! Before I share the top five items for direct sellers to take to their national conference, read this so you know WHY you should go to your conference.

conference necessities

Top 5 Conference Necessities:

1. Layers and Layers of Clothing!

Just yesterday, we got back from our national conference.   Our convention center was FREEZING. Now, you might think I am over-reacting. I.AM.NOT. I had layers of clothing and a scarf/blanket. The only thing I didn’t take with me was a winter coat. Next year I am wearing dress pants instead of dresses, and I might take a winter coat as I had to go stand outside to thaw out. If you tend to be cold all the time, please don’t mess around – take layers.

2. Comfortable Shoes!

Wear comfortable shoes to and from the convention center. I know you are sitting for a mighty long time at any conference; however, usually accommodations are far away! Hence, you are walking for what seems like miles and miles. By the last day, I ended up wearing my handy dandy flats the entire session. That was a smart move.

3. A list of 25-30 contacts.

You will call people because every conference is better than the last, and you are ready to share your enthusiasm with everyone. Your energy is infectious and everyone is excited, motivated, and determined to win the next incentive whether it’s a trip, product, or cash! Wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to book parties, set up take-a-looks (mini sessions where you invite people to come take a look at your product, company, and offering), and contact your entire team while at a conference and have your whole month organized? That’s what happens when you work your business purposefully and prepare for conference.

4. Water, Water, and more Water.

Staying hydrated during the long days of conference are vital to your health and happiness during the conference. It’s easy to take a case of water if you are driving to the event; however, it’s a little different if you’re flying. I usually ask the uber driver if there is a store along the way to the venue that sells cases of water. There usually is and that will save you lots of $$.

conference notebook5. Note-taking device.

Take your favorite note-taking device because you will hear information that you do not want to forget.  Personally, I use paper and pen.  A little notebook works perfectly for me. When I get home I type up all the notes so I remember what I wrote!  Many conference attendees prefer to use an electronic device because of the simplicity.  There are many note-taking apps available for your device, and here are just a few.

Note-taking Apps:

  • Zoho Notebook
  • Evernote (my fav)
  • Microsoft OneNote
  • SimpleNote
  • Google Keep

 

When you arrive at your national conference prepared, you will enjoy the entire experience! Please contact me HERE for more information on direct sales and how I can help you catapult your business with personal branding and style.

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Top 5 Tips for Work at Home Moms!


work at home momAre you a work at home mom or soon to be?  Our middle child was three weeks old when I began working from home.  I spent many late nights in front of the computer wrestling with dial-up internet.  Can you even imagine?  It would take me two hours sometimes to enter in the information from a party — and I only had to enter their first and last name and the items they ordered.  Our system didn’t ask for the customer’s email, phone or address.  Again, can you even imagine?

This wasn’t our first child, so having a three week old and starting a new business seemed like the perfect time to delve into something new.  I chose this career so I didn’t have to pay the exorbitant cost of day care!  We were new to the area so we didn’t have any child care contacts.  The internet was around but it took one year to get dial up to our home.  Painful.  I spent many days at the library.  Enough about me.

Here’s the skinny based on age: 

  • Infants:  They sleep and eat often so use that to your advantage!  Talk on the phone when they are eating.  Send emails, update websites, input financials and anything that requires brainwork do EARLY in the morning.  Or if you are a night owl, work on it LATE at night.
  • Toddlers:  Oh yeah….you deserve a medal at this age because your toddler most likely thinks he/she is in the olympics and is running from you UNTIL you get on the phone!  Am I right?  Then once you pick up that phone, they are whining, crying, and begging for your attention.  The nice thing is that many direct sellers and professionals can text or email their customers.  This makes customer service much easier.  I am sure there are still many times you need to hop on the phone.  Here are some tricks:
    • HIDE.  You know what I mean.  I used to walk away from them the entire time I was on the phone.  I made it into a “game” where it was the “Let’s chase mom QUIETLY” game.  Bribery of some sort of food was given at the end.
    • Have 3 toys that they are only allowed to play with when you are on the phone.  You must be diligent on this.  The only time they can play with those three toys is when you are on the phone.  This could be an electronic game, a favorite educational or musical app, a special book, or fun toy.  Absolutely stay away from the NOISY toys as it defeats the purpose!
  • work at home mom crayonsSchool-age Children:  I love goal setting and start my school age children out with this as early as five.  As a work at home mom, we have the advantage of knowing what content they are reading and listening to everyday. We discuss goal setting throughout the year.  Yep…  the young ones LOVE this!  I love when they have that ‘a-ha’ moment and realize they accomplished their goal!  Goal-setting starts them on a mindset to creating and achieving goals each week, month, year.    During the summer months, we have a schedule each day.  I break it down as follows:
    • Time with Mom (i.e. my technology is turned off)
    • Chores (age appropriate).  I give them a time limit to finish the chore.  This has worked best in our home.  I’ve tried it all and I now use Alexa to set a timer for the designated time.  For example, I needed to clean the bathrooms (joy) while the younger boys needed to clean their room.  I set the alarm for 1.5 hours as I knew it was feasible for everyone to finish their chores in that amount of time.  I have tried “rushing” the timer on certain chores for like 15 minutes and the boys said, “Mom, you don’t want us rushing, do you?  We are never going to finish it and it’s going to look sloppy.”  Fair enough boys.  You win that one!
    • Work time.  Create rules.  Rules detailing what you expect while you are in your office.  (If you work on your kitchen table then so be it….that’s your office and they must respect that.)
    • Children thrive on systems.  When you find your system, stick to it.  Each child is different (sigh).  I thought when I had the third boy that I would know what to do from birth to graduation.  Wrong again.  They all have their wonderful personalities.  One cries if you look at him cross-eyed, another laughs when he is in trouble, another one is such a rule follower that he wants to boss me around.  lol.
  • set goals teensPre-teens and Teens:  You become a professional uber and work at home mom at this time if your kids are into sports, theater, music, martial arts, dance, or any extracurricular anything.  And depending on where your middle/high school is will determine how long your uber rides are each day. Our high school is 20-25 minutes away.  Yikes.
    • Books on Tape / Podcasts:  Listen to books on tape while you are “ubering”.  They pick up great information.  And, it’s coming from a professional on tape (lol), not their mom!
    • Ride Share:  If at all possible, find another parent with a child in your same extra curricular activity and ride share. Sometimes, this can be very difficult if you don’t live near the majority of the students.  Don’t give up because there are genuinely kind people that will help you out!
    • Family Calendar:  Beg for their calendars in advance.  This will be your life saver.  Because you work at home, you can work around their schedule.  Whoa!  I know.  It’s not that easy.

Lastly, have a style uniform to help you look and feel great while you are doing ninety million things.  Looking for more biz tips or have questions?   Simply Click Here. and have an AWESOME day!

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National Conference: 7 Reasons why every Direct Seller should attend

attend conferenceHave you thought about attending a national conference but just didn’t see the need for it? Do you live far from where the national conference is held? Do you struggle with justifying the cost of conference? Are you nervous because you don’t know anyone? Are you nervous because you have never traveled alone? Are you struggling to find childcare?  I have had hundreds of teammates ask me these exact questions. Have confidence in yourself! Lastly, if you struggle with self-confidence, PLEASE attend your companies’ conference. You will not regret it.

Attend National Conference.  Let FRIENDS help!

Friends.

Are you attending conference for the first time alone?  No worries.  You will meet new people at lunch, in your sessions, at vendor sessions, in the hallways, at dinner, etc.  Similarly, the first conference I attended I knew one person and stayed with someone in our group that I had never met.  We remain friends to this day.  Over the years, you look forward to seeing the same people over and over.  If you can’t bear the thought of going alone, take a friend or your spouse.  Typically, guests are allowed at a reduced fee.

Real Cool Tools.

With technology and social media changing at the speed of light, direct sales companies are staying competitive and sharing new tools with their teams. Usually, companies will roll out a new tool during the conference to spread excitement throughout the room. You will be the first to hear about any new technology and the first to experience the new tools. The tools might go live while you are sitting in the room or they might have hands-on stations for you to test the new tools. In addition, you might get to talk 1 on 1 with the technology expert, or they may have a seminar dedicated to that specific piece of technology.

Nevertheless, I cannot believe how much technology has changed in this industry in the past 12 years. I love the simplicity of sending invitations, sending videos, and sharing social media content.  Above all, I love that we have professional graphics to post to social media in seconds.  Genius.

Invest in Yourself.

As the saying goes, if you don’t invest in yourself, who will? It’s important to invest in yourself as a direct seller. You work from home the majority of the time maybe chasing kids or caring for elderly parents, or maybe you have a “full time” job too. Attending a conference sets you apart from thousands of others that don’t attend their conference. They may not see the big picture while you do.

What is the big picture? In some cases, it’s a path to financial freedom. Immersing yourself at a national conference not only provides education, networking, motivation, but also gives you the ability to combine all of that information, share it with your team (if you have one), share the excitement with your friends/family, learn exactly what you need to do to reach your goals, learn how to reach your goals, network with those that you never ever in a million zillion years would meet, and so much more!

Education.

Even if you are not an education junkie, you will have fun learning this content. Many times, they intertwine incentives (like trips, freebies, etc) with new content. So much of the time the content comes from others you meet such as teammates you often don’t see, other conference attendees, experts or influencers that speak.

Do you immerse yourself in blogs, podcasts, cd’s, and books? Yep, me too! I cannot think of anything that replaces building relationships while learning. Going to a conference and receiving so much fantastic content that  it takes two months to perfect is exactly why I go every year.

Network with Experts & Influencers.

This is a terrific time to meet other leaders, trainers, corporate executives, and influencers. You want them to remember you and your conversation so take a picture and share on your social media platform, friend them on facebook (or other social favorite), or get their contact information. Many times, you will have a chance to meet the key-note speaker as they will have a table selling their products just outside the venue. In short, giving you the opportunity to ask quick questions and get their information and product. I had the pleasure of meeting an influencer, Claudia Krusch at the last conference. She shared social media tips with us at the lunch table. It was awesome because you could tell she genuinely cared for us as women and as successful business owners.

Direct Motivation.

Typically, you hear stories of overcoming obstacles. The company always picks stories that tear your heart apart requiring you the need to squeeze your butt cheeks together so you don’t cry.  As you can imagine, if you share mutual experiences as that of the speaker, it’s painful. I’m not gonna lie. When you hear stories of losing everything, then starting again, building again, and doing the little things every day to build your business, you know YOU CAN DO IT TOO.

We need those stories to know that we are not in this alone in this big crazy world, and that we can do the same small things every single day. Some people are motivated with incentives such as free product, trips, vehicles, etc. As expected, they always announce the fun incentives at the national conference and, sometimes, give away free product. Interestingly, some companies give away multiple items while others give away none. I have been a part of both. It depends on the company and the product.

Setting yourself up as an Expert.

This is the name of the game. Stories sell and knowledge is power. You gain both at any conference. You are hearing stories that you can use as your own. You are gaining a wealth of knowledge to share with your team and customers.

Ultimately, I hope you attend your national conference this year!  Here’s a quick reference list on what to take to make your stay comfortable! I cannot wait to connect.  Please sign up for our newsletter to receive new tips and tricks every month. XM style helps business owners get noticed through style, personal branding, and communication.  Think ABC – Appearance, Branding, Communication.

Lastly, do you want to learn more about direct sales and how it can work with your lifestyle?  Contact XMstyle