I have talked before about the importance of making an impact when you introduce yourself. (See Tip: introduce yourself with impact) However, when Jon and I were meeting with a potential new client last week, we identified that she was struggling with her soundbite. Interestingly, when we asked her what differentiated her, we got a very well thought out list of benefits of working with her. However, there wasn’t the one sentence soundbite. The one sentence that helps you go ‘ahhh, that’s what you are about’. The one sentence that gives Jon and I the biggest clue about whether you are totally clear about your identity. Let’s give you some soundbites which do just that:
I help professionals become the go-to-expert I help firms grow from 5 to 50 employees I help businesses get their teams all pulling in the same direction I help large companies pay legally the minimum amount of tax I help business owners double their business
[sc name=NicheWorksheet] Any decent soundbite will fulfill the following criteria: Short and punchy – it will be under 20 words and ideally under 15 words
- It will almost always prompt you to ask them ‘so, how do you do that?’ (which then gives you licence to tell a credibility story or two)
- It is a snapshot of your own personal ‘over-arching’ brand
- It almost always matches in some way your personal suffix
So, what are the benefits to you of having a soundbite:
- It gives you clarity about your personal brand, as it is very much a core statement about your personal brand
- It allows you to use it as a decision making tool for when you get opportunities coming your way, i.e. does this match what I say I do in my soundbite
- It allows others to quickly and easily get what you do – and makes you far more memorable
- It is the first line of your networkers elevator pitch (see, is this the perfect 60 second elevator pitch)
- it makes it easier for partners and clients to refer you
What’s your personal soundbite? [sc name=NicheWorksheet]
