I was at a networking event recently where everyone had a chance to give their “30 second intro” as is common for these types of events! It was unfortunate for one attendee who was the last to speak and was the FOURTH financial planner at the event.

This is a challenge for those of you in highly competitive businesses, especially those commonly seen at networking events: insurance agents, bankers, etc. In the case of the event I attended, the third and fourth speakers sounded very, very similar to those who had gone before. In other words, we learned their job tag (financial planner), where their office was located, how long they had been in business, what big plans they had, and the excellence of their customer service.

How do you stand out from the crowd in such circumstances? Consider the following tips to set yourself apart from the competition.

1. Consider your ideal client – Who do you love working with? Be as specific as possible and define it as narrowly as possible. This becomes the first words of your introduction. For example:

“I help small business owners with 5-10 employees…”

2. How do you help them? Again, you must be specific. Ideally, what problems do you solve for them. Think in terms of the problems they are facing and how they feel about them. A good place to find out is from your own clients: ask them how you helped them, how they felt when they hired you, and how they feel now. For example:

“I help small business owners with 5-10 employees who are struggling to manage their payroll issues and are worried they made a mistake every time they submit a return”

3. Elaborate if you have time but focus on THEM – perhaps the biggest mistake is trying to “tell” your prospect too much information in an effort to prove your expertise. You are looking for interest at this stage, not to close a deal. If you have time, you can tell the story of a customer you helped. Tell the story in 10 seconds or less!

4. Stop talking! – Once you’ve said what you came here to say, stop talking. You’ll have said enough for your prospect to directly ask you for more information in a one-on-one interaction, or for prospects to identify with you later in the meeting.

The key means of standing out from your competitors is to make your presentation about THEM and not YOU. People are primarily concerned with themselves and if you are in a profession that they have heard about frequently, they will be familiar with the general message and will tend to filter it out. Finding out the issues they are dealing with will make your message resonate.

In summary:

• Identify who the message is for and what problem you solve for them
• Use emotion words (fear, worry, frustration) to explain the problems you are working on
• Turn your core competencies into a language you haven’t heard before: what is it about your customer service that makes it great?
• Asking your current customers is a great place to start.
• It’s about THEM and not YOU