The 30 Second Sell!

So today I attended a meeting of Chapel Hill Leads, a local business networking group that has a great base and longevity on the scene. I was a first-timer recommended by my long time insurance agent, Pam Herndon, who simply raved about it and how much participating has contributed to her business! While I was there, I also ran into my friend Sharon Hill, a networking queen and etiquette guru that would knock your socks off! Anyway, during the meeting, all attendees are given a "30 second commercial" to present to the entire group. This morning, there was a group of almost 90! Everyone gave their spiel and I learned a couple of things:

1. If you have a company slogan, this is the time to use it. The consistency of saying this will help people remember who you are, especially if you attend these meetings on a weekly basis like they encourage.
2. State your website. You want people to be able to find you if they can not catch up with you at the meeting.
3. State your ideal client or lead. When networking, a goal is to try to help other people as best you can. No one can help you if they don't know what you want.
4. In the most concise way, speak to what your service can do to help someone's hurts.
5. Give a tip that would help other's hurts. Make sure it is related to your product or service offering.
6. Refer to a member of the audience in your spiel (classic Toastmasters!). It helps make for a memorable spiel and shows you were paying attention.

These tips were all in the context of that particular type of meeting (you should have seen some of the "commercials" they had) but could really apply to any networking situation where you are introducing yourself to others in a limited time. I'll be sure to work on my 30 second commercial and will start attending this group's functions on a regular basis as I grow my businesses.