An Elevator Speech and LinkedIn
YOUR LINKEDIN QUESTIONS ANSWERED!
Do you have questions about your LinkedIn profile or how to use LinkedIn? Send your questions to our LinkedIn Expert Debbie McCormick and she’ll answer them in the magazine! Use info@LinkedInBossLady.com with subject Dear Debbie.
Dear Debbie:
I heard the term Elevator Speech the other day. What is that? Does it have something to do with LinkedIn?
~ David N.
Great question, David! And I have some gems to help you put one together, especially if you’re an entrepreneur.
So an “elevator speech” is the ability to tell someone what you do in a concise and complete way. It takes some thought, because the key here is to be concise.
The elevator part comes from the notion that if you get into an elevator with someone, and they ask you what you do, you have between the first and second floors to give a complete, understandable answer.
It’s a funny name but a great thing to have in your pocket: an authentic way to describe what you do while not being too brief or too long-winded.
Let me use myself as an example:
My answer to “What do you do?” could be: “I write LinkedIn profiles.”
Or it could be: “I write LinkedIn profiles for inspiring women entrepreneurs that highlight their unique services and products, and showcase them as leaders in their fields.”
The second answer took only five seconds more (give or take a second), but did me So much more good in terms of explaining what I do fully AND providing an opening for another question from the person who asked.
Also, by answering that way, I hope the questioner can feel the pride I have in what I do.
What does that have to do with LinkedIn? Nothing, specifically.
But generally, your LinkedIn profile and Company page are an extended elevator speech, aren’t they? There you have the opportunity to fully explain what you do, who you do it for and what a prospective client can expect as the result of working with you.
So work on your elevator speech:
Make it concise and complete (remember, you have between the first and second floors)
Speak in terms of what you do for your clients.
I guarantee you, when you can say it authentically and with the love you have for your work in your voice, you’ll gain much more than an “Oh that’s nice” in reply — it can be the start of a dialogue about your business.
__________________________________________
Debbie answers your LinkedIn questions every week here in YES I CAN Living Magazine.
For further help or support from her, you can schedule a one-on-one Make Your LinkedIn Profile A Client Magnet profile review at https://LinkedInWithDebbie.as.me.
You can also connect with her on these platforms:
LinkedIn.com/in/DebbieMcCormick
@LinkedInBossLady
facebook.com/DebbieMcCormickConsultingLinkedIn
