Annoyingly, you will regularly be contacted by people who have absolutely no idea what they want you to do. They know they need help, but they’re often so busy they can’t think straight and really aren’t sure of the best way to use you. You obviously need to fix this or you won’t end up doing any work for them at all!
An “elevator pitch” is how you would deliver a summary of your product, business or service to someone during a short elevator ride. It’s not a sales pitch; it’s a concise explanation of who you are, what you do, who you do it for and why someone might want this. It’s useful to have an elevator pitch when networking, so let me show you how to write one.
One of my readers recently sent me an email suggesting I write a post on how to qualify a new client. Only two weeks into her new career, she’s already encountered a complete time-waster and wanted to share her experience in order to prevent others from having the same experience. This is what she told me:
Virtual Assistants often feel apprehensive about attending networking events, but, as many VAs say, it’s their most successful way of landing clients and because you’re going to have to do it anyway, it (literally) pays to be good at it. Talking to a room full of strangers may sound daunting, but with my advice, you’ll be a networking superstar in no time.
When I first started working for myself, it never once occurred to me that I could or should fire a client. I’d worked as an employee for years and employees are the ones who get fired not the other way around – plus I was new at freelancing and thought it was important to take all the work I was offered. Rookie mistake…
