The elevator speech is a recognised way of quickly and efficiently communicating what you do.

 

There are some links below to some sites that helpyou put together an elevator speech, or marketing pitch, for yourself.

 

A good elevator speech is important for any business owner or for that matter an individual who is always on the lookout for opportunities - aren't all Trailing Spouses like that?

 

These sites give you some ideas for getting your pitch started, but why not share yours with the community and see if we can hone each others pitch.  Check out the discussion board thread on the subject.

 

Have a think about what you feel your main areas of expertise are, usually 3 or 4, and build on these categories. Next, envision how an organization may leverage your expertise and how you may apply your knowledge and skills to the advantage of an organization.  Remember, the person that you are marketing yourself to has one main question in mind- "what benefit will our organization gain from hiring this person?"  Remember the radio station WIIFM - What's In It For ME?

 

If they have to analyze you to make this determination, unless you have a very high demand skill set, they will probably not see you as the right person for the job. 

The “pitch wizard," although very basic, does give a good start place to start in developing your marketing pitch.  http://www.15secondpitch.com

 

Have a look too at the Fantastic Formulas for Composing Elevator Speeches and Elevator Speech Do's and Don'ts in this article. http://www.quintcareers.com/job-search_elevator_speech.html

 

I'd also be interested in hearing from any employment and life coaches in the network that have ideas and guidance on how to build an effective elevator pitch.

 

  -- Jeff