WOW Elevator Pitches

The people in your workplace most likely fall into three different categories: visionaries, fence sitters, and resisters.

Visionaries are people who’ve caught the company’s visionthey make things happen. For them, it’s not just about the paycheck. They never have that it’s not-my-job attitude. They respect all job descriptions, protocols, and company standards. They do whatever it takes to make sure the company is profitable, the team is happy and healthy, and their participation is for the good of everyone. Their attitude is,What’s in it for us today? We love these people. Don’t get confused into thinking that a visionary must be a person in upper management, or someone who’s been with the company for a long time. You can be brand-new, be the lowest paid person, and still be a visionary.

Fence sitters are people who, on any given day and with any given project, could go either way. Some days they’re for you, some days they’re against you. As a business owner, I sometimes stand at the door watching my staff members arrive and think to myself, I wonder which way that person will go today. Fence sitters easily succumb to human emotions. Their loyalty and commitment are tied to their mood that day, or to some other arbitrary scale. If their second moon is rising over Jupiter, then they love working for the company. But when their Uranus is stuck and dragging out of bed that day, forget about it!

Resisters think it’s their job to resist anything and everything. If you could look up their self-imagined job description, it would probably say,Resist, resist, resist! You sayblack, they saywhite . . . just because! Resisters are very good at planting their insidious seeds of negativity. They’ll be out having cocktails with other staff members, and while discussing the staff meeting held earlier that day, they’ll say something like,Wasn’t that a great speech that so-and-so gave today? But did you hear about her marital problems? They plant that negative seed, and then move on to the next project or person to resist and sabotage.

It’s important to identify your visionaries, fence sitters, and resisters so you’ll know where to invest your energy and time. Unfortunately, in many companies and organizations, all the attention goes to the resisters (the squeaky wheel gets the grease), while the visionaries quietly work away, ignored and unappreciated.

Take heed: Ignore the resisters! Don’t let them set your agenda. Without showing disrespect, avoid giving them your attention, your focus, or your energy. It’s true that positive behavior will disappear if you ignore it, but so will negative behavior. And when I say disappear, I mean either the resisters will leave your company to move on to one that tolerates and condones their negativity, or their behavior will change. And by the way, if their behavior doesn’t change, SW, SW, SW: Some will, some won’t, so what!

Now about those visionarieslisten up! They need your praises, your hugs, your pats on the back, and your public displays of meaningful gratitude. They need you to put them on a pedestal and let everyone know that they make a difference in your world. Some business books may tell you not to play favorites at work, but I play favorites, big time. My favorites are the visionaries; they get all of me.

And what about those fence sitters? If you properly take care of your visionaries, they’ll recruit your fence sitters for you. They’ll sing your praises, promote your message, and support your mission to those skeptical fence sitters.

One more thing. Which type are you: visionary, fence sitter, or resister?

Winn Claybaugh is the author of Be Nice (Or Else!) andone of the best motivational speakers in the country, according to CNN’s Larry King. A business owner for over 25 years with over 8,000 people in his organization, Winn is the co-owner of hair care giant Paul Mitchell’s school division. Winn has helped thousands of businesses build their brands and create successful working cultures. His clients include Southwest Airlines, the Irvine Company, Vidal Sassoon, Entertainment Tonight, Mattel, For Rent magazine, Structure/Limited/Express, and others. Winn is a frequent guest on national radio and a regular contributor to online publications. Visit www.BeNiceOrElse.com to sign up for his free monthly Be Nice (Or Else!) newsletter.

WOW Elevator Pitches19661WOW Elevator PitchesHow would you like to generate interest and make the positive impression on others to continue a conversation? What if your words were able to attract more interest? Customers? Referrals? How about hearing the words, tell me more’.

Networking, sales calls, interviewing and meeting new people can be stressful. Stumbling over your elevator speech will give off the wrong impression of you, your business or career talents. You need a few tips to look and sound like a pro. You have about 30 seconds to grab someone’s interest, and here’s how.

Simple: Create a statement that is intriguing, almost mysterious. You want to create interest and questions vs the deer in the headlight reaction. Think headlines of a newspaper. Don’t give all your information away or the long technical explanation. That is reserved for the follow up meeting, one on one, over coffee.

“I specialize in helping my clients add more zero to their paycheck.”

Powerful: Use powerful words that give off the message of expert. I specialize in, customize, develop, reform, design, create, etc.

“My expertise is in planning memorable events on a shoestring budget.”

Format: Mention your occupation or title after your powerful statement. This will ensure people continue to listen and not prejudge you by their preconceived ideas of your chosen profession.

Notice the difference:

“I’m a lawyer and my practice is estate planning.”

“I specialize in assisting my clients with easing the tax and emotional burden after their passing. I’m an Estate Planning Lawyer.”

Practice:Say your pitch over and over again, every time you look at yourself in the mirror (even the rear view mirror while driving), when you greet your assistant and close friends. Your children, spouse and family members should be able to recite your pitch. Practice and it will become automatic, along with instilling confidence.

The next time you are asked,What do you do?, you will be ready and not stuttering how to explain what you do. Stick to the headlines to provoke reading the rest of the article.

Laurie-Ann Murabito, CPCC, ACC is a Results & Business Strategy Coach, Author and Speaker. Her energy is contagious and she specializes in bringing out the very best in each of her clients, becoming their secret weapon to success. She is available to speak on various topics. Are you ready for the next level? Visit http://www.Results2Success.com or email LA@Results2Success.com