If You Only Had 30 Seconds to Win New Business, Would You Be Ready?

Have you ever missed out on the perfect opportunity to land a great lead? You may have been in line at Starbucks or wandering the aisles of your local supermarket when someone spotted your name badge or NAR pin and asked about your job. They may have mentioned how they are getting ready to buy or sell a home. Then, perhaps you passed them a business card, chatted amicably for a few minutes, and headed in different directions with promises to connect, never to speak again.

You have to be prepared when occasions like this pop up. It's important to make a confident, trustworthy, and compelling impression to win that lead. To do that, you have to explain what you do, and how you do it differently or better than everyone else. On top of that, you need to do it quickly and concisely. Time is ticking and you're not going to be able to keep them from their day for long. What you need is a fully developed, polished, and practiced elevator pitch.

1. Plan

The first step to developing your elevator pitch is to consider the angle you're going to take. Are you trying to get the target of your pitch interested in you, your team, or your brand? Do you have a niche you would like to mention? Ask yourself who your ideal client is and why they should choose you over all the other agents in your area.

2. Write

Once you've finished planning, write two or three sentences that explain who you are, what you do, and why you're the best. Remember that while the elevator pitch is about you, its goal should be to share why working with you is beneficial to them.

Also, don't feel like you have to pull out the thesaurus for this. Your elevator pitch should feel natural. Avoid using company jargon or terms the average person may not understand. As a general rule, this includes acronyms, no matter how simple they seem to you, there are a lot of people who don't know what MLS, REO, or SRES stand for. Make clarity, simplicity, and engagement a goal.

3. Practice

Memorize your elevator pitch so you can share it at a moment's notice. Practice your inflection and make sure you can convey passion through your elevator pitch. Try it out on strangers (maybe in the elevator?) to get a feel for how it fits into your daily life. If it feels clunky or unnatural, take it back to the writing phase.

4. Implement

You'll find that a lot of occasions to use your elevator pitch will arise naturally, and then there will be other times when you'll want to steer a conversation in that direction. Try asking a yes or no question that would set you up to share your pitch. Depending on your pitch, it can be something as general as "Do you own a home?" to something more specific to your niche.

5. Follow through

After you give your pitch, you need a call to action. Definitely give them your business card and ask them for their contact information. Then, depending on what their goal is and how soon they're going to be in the market, make an appointment to go over a CMA or listing presentation that you'll prepare for them.

Now you're ready! The next time someone asks you what you do while waiting for their number to be called at the DMV, you'll know exactly what to say!

To view the original article, visit the Homes.com blog.