Close Contact Network Speech
 Ivan Misner in his book, World's Best Known Marketing Secret, talks about close contact networking groups and loose contact networking groups. Close contact groups are like BNI where there is one person per profession in the group. Loose contact networking groups are like the Chamber of Commerce where there can be many members per profession. What I learned at the Conference is that you use a different approach to your elevator speech in the two different groups.
So what's the approach for a close contact group? Well, in this type of group, the members are your unpaid sales force, and you want to educate them on how to get referrals for you. The focus is less on who you are and what you do and more on triggers so members recognize a referral, even when they aren't thinking about you.
Here's an example. A good way to recognize a referral for an auto insurance salesperson might be to listen at a party for discussions of teen drivers. If one person says, "Oh, my son is about to start driver's ed," that can be a potential referral.
The other piece of this version of your elevator speech is to educate members on what to do when they recognize a referral. So the insurance sales person could educate his group when they hear the trigger to ask, "Have you looked at your insurance policy now that you'll have a teen driver? I know an excellent agent, and I'd be happy to arrange an introduction."
See how it works? Trigger and response. So let's put it all together. I'll use myself as an example. This was a recent speech I used in my BNI chapter.
"My name is Juli Monroe of 1 to 1 Discovery. I am a networking coach and trainer. When was the last time you were at a neworking event listening to elevator speeches? Did you find your eyes glazing over? Your brow furrowing becuase you didn't know what the person did? Find your hand cupped to your ear because you couldn't hear the person? If you experienced any of these symptoms, you were standing in the middle of a referral for me. I'd like you to walk up to that person and ask one simple question. 'How's that working for you?' If you get 'Not so good,' hand over my card. Juli Monroe. 1 to 1 Discovery. Because shouldn't you be making more contacts in your own networking."
Simple enough?
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Loose Contact Network Speech
Can you use the above version in a loose contact group? Of course you can. But in a loose contact group, your audience doesn't have the same level of trust in you. So a call to action like I talk about above may not be appropriate. But you do want to be memorable, and the following format can work very well
1. Name and Business
2. Brief description of your product or service
3. Profile of a client you have helped and how you helped them
4. Specific type of referral you are looking for
5. Name and Business again
6. Your "tag" or "hook" line if you have one.
Do not overlook that tag line. Spend some time working on a memorable one. It will set you apart from others at a networking function and will make people want to talk to you.
Remember always to be clear and consise. No one likes to listen to someone drone on for several minutes and say nothing. One of the best compliments you can get is one that I received a couple of months ago. "Lots of people talk a lot and say very little. You talk a very little and say a lot."
That's the goal of an excellent elevator speech!
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