You know that you should be getting out more. Talking to people. Telling them what you do. Building up your network.
So you bite the bullet and sign up for an event. But as the day looms, you become more and more nervous. That voice in your head asks: “What will you say? Why would anyone care? You’ll just be a babbling mess!”
As your networking fear continues to build you finally say to yourself, “I’m not going. I just can’t do this!”
And so, you don’t go. And nothing changes in your business. Customers don’t call. No one is stumbling upon your website. You remain the best kept secret.
this can’t go on.
You’ve been told that networking is good for business and at some point you need to get yourself out there if you’re ever going to survive. You understand why you can only rely on your existing contacts, friends, and family for so long.
And so you sign up to another event, this time determined that you’re going to do it. You get out of the house and start to prepare yourself for that room full of strangers, hoping with all of your might that no one will come up and talk to you.
But when you get there, things aren’t as you expected. The room isn’t full of people mingling in pairs. Instead the chairs are in a circle and each person takes a seat. There’s no escaping! Eventually it will be your turn and you’ll have to tell the ENTIRE room about yourself and your business.
You listen as those before you confidently explain their business. “How is it so easy for them?”, you ask yourself. Your nerves are kicking in, your palms are sweating, you may be looking a little bit pale. Your turn is approaching…time is almost up.
How can you conquer your networking fear?
you know how…?
The single best way to conquer your networking fear is to treat it like a conversation. Don’t worry about the dreaded ‘elevator pitch’. Don’t try to explain too much. Just keep it really simple and use this formula:
“YOU KNOW HOW” QUESTION + PROBLEM STATEMENT + IMPACT + WHERE YOU COME IN + RESULT
I’ll give you an example for my business:
“You know how starting a business can start to feel really overwhelming? Entrepreneurs have tons of passion and determination, yet sometimes lack the business skills to put all of the pieces together. So they lose focus and worry about how they’ll get where they want to be. Well, that’s where I come in. I help them make confident decisions, set direction and stay focused so that they no longer worry about how to get their business off the ground, but instead start to see the results that they long for.”
over to you
Why not give it a try? Write your “your know how” formula in the comments below and I’ll give you some tips to tweak it to perfection.
I love this tip and definitely going to use it.
My “you know how” is: You know how constantly running to meetings can leave you no time to concentrate on producing solid, high impact presentations?
Hey Angela. That’s a great start! How would you complete the rest of the formula?
Great post Danielle! Here’s mine:
You know how you have an idea in your head about the perfect family portrait? The one where your daughter gives that sweet smile, and your hubby’s eyes crinkle up at the corners during a big belly laugh? And heck, the sun is even shining, and you are having a really good hair day.
That’s what I do, look for that exact moment, for real laughs, candid expression and natural connection.
The result? An artwork that you can’t wait to put up in your home because it’s SO you.
Oooh great, Jodi! I love your description of that perfect family portrait and I bet your target customer can visualise that moment in their heads, too.
I’d perhaps also add in how the result captures that moment and let’s you relive it time and time again. 🙂
Excellent tip – I’m definitely going to give this a go. Thanks Danielle.
Haha – couldn’t resist just doing it straight away – it’s really good, here’s my first stab (although I think I need a different one for each stakeholder now!
“You know how” it can be difficult to find information about all the services and activities that are available to your family? You use Google or word of mouth or visit various websites but you never feel confident you know all that’s available. So you end up wasting lots of time searching, or you discover the information is out-of-date, or you don’t find anything appropriate.
Well, we want to change all that. We’re developing a National Family Service Directory called SerViz, which will provide all this information online in one place. The information is maintained by the local authority, providing reliable and comprehensive information about everything that’s available to your family members, whatever their age.
So YOU find the best services for your family and in addition, WE save the taxpayer a whopping £5 million per year in local authority software maintenance costs. Sound good to you?”
Great that you’ve done it straight away, Gary! And you are absolutely right – you can tweak this for each of your stakeholders and use the problems / benefits / results that they want to know about.
You may wish to trim your second paragraph down a little bit so that the person stays focused. You can always give additional information as the conversation continues. Here’s a suggestion:
“Well, we want to change all that. We’re developing a National Family Service Directory called SerViz, which provides reliable and comprehensive information about everything that’s available to your family members, whatever their age.”
And in your final paragraph, not all audiences may be interested in the savings to tax payers. This may be something you add / remove based on the person you’re speaking to.
Love this as I can put it in my pocket and save it for later, as I do dread networking face to face. I will have a think what to say…and you have broken it down really easily..thank you x
Lisa, do feel free to make a go at it here. 🙂
Hi Danielle, this is a great exercise! Here’s my stab at it…
You know how communication can break down and people start to dig their heels in? Businesses need to adapt to the changing world around them, yet they often fail to share the strategic narrative with their employees on that journey of change. So employees think management don’t care about them, and managers feel staff are getting in the way of change. Well, that’s where I come in. I help staff and management communicate better, so they understand where the other is coming from and can respond appropriately to what the other is really saying.
What do you think?
I think you’ve done a great job, Jasmine!
What happens as a result of that final understanding and appropriate response? What improvements does that bring?
Thanks! This is such a nice easy way to pull together a concise statement!
Ok, so here’s my first stab at it!
You know how designing a workshop or retreat for your clients can feel a little bit like planning your own wedding? Business owners have tons of ideas, and a desire to offer a powerful experience for their clients, yet sometimes lack the experience and confidence to pull it all together. So they play it safe and stick to events that look and feel like everyone elses, missing a valuable opportunity to deliver an experience which truly reflects the unique personality of their business. Well, that’s where I come in. I help them to develop and refine their ideas into a winning design, prepare for the event and build their confidence so that they deliver incredible group experiences that will have their participants coming back for more!
Would love feedback! Thanks!
Hey Olivia!
You’ve made a GREAT first stab! My only suggestion would be to shorten it up a tiny bit. Remember that this is going to be one of the first bits of dialogue that you have with someone (picture yourself at a networking event), so you’ll want to hold their attention. Entice them enough so that they ask you more questions.
I like it! First try Danielle, what do you think ?
You know how life seems too busy to really address these negative experiences from the past that keep bugging you?
We all go through experiences that puts us back. We’re too busy in life to address these and they keep popping up when you least need or expect it.
Well, that’s where I come in. I can help you deal with the past, and your worries about the future.
So you can enjoy the present and live a full life!
Wow…. I need help…. this post was referred by another user and yea, I need it, what “you know how” should I use? is their a good way to consolidate them ? what stat or line is most appropriate if I only use one?
You know how terrifying it is when your cell phone screams an alert at you about a tornado and you realize you have no place to run to?
You know how 30% of America is covered by FEMA disaster shelter construction grants ?
You know how 89 people in America are killed by tornadoes alone every year?
You know how every state in America other than Alaska has been hit by a recorded tornado ?
You know how disgusting the government response to Hurricane Katrina with the Super-dome “solution” was?
You know how Hurricane Rita striking near Houston caused one of the 10 worst traffic jams in world history, with some people traveling 11 miles in 9 hours? (I live near Houston)
You know how 1 in 10 American families currently rent a self storage unit, and there are over 48,000 facilities nationally ?
It is to expensive for many to build a personal disaster shelter, and most living in cites would not have a place to put one if they could. Well we are Survivor Storage, and simply put we give our customers a FEMA certifiable personal disaster shelter as a free value added benefit of switching to us, for the exact same price or less than they are currently paying.
Hi John.
For your opening “you know how” question, you can change it up depending on who you’re speaking to at the time. For example, some people may not know that 30% of America is covered by FEMA disaster shelters. I’d try out the ones that really create a bit of a shock, or those that people can really imagine.
For me (as a person who doesn’t live in a tornado nor hurricane prone area), the once that gave me a bit of a ‘wow’ impact were “…how terrifying it is when your cell phone..” and “…every state in America other than Alaska…”.
For the first one, I think you could still add a bit more about the problem you’re solving. So it could read, “You know how terrifying it is when your cell phone screams an alert about a tornado? Not only do you have no place to run to, but you could lose everything you have.”
For the second one you could combine facts, “You know how every state in America other than Alaska has been hit by a record tornado, killing 89 people in America every year?”.
I think that the fact about storage units is also an interesting one, but not directly related to disasters.
The rest of what you’ve written in the final paragraph is great!
Just having a go at this, it’s a really powerful exercise! I’d really like to be as informative and concise as possible…here goes:
You know how you get given those naff plastic badges at events. And you really don’t want to wear it and you really don’t want to get pin holes in that new shirt that you’ve put on especially to make a good impression when you meet these people for the first time? Well that’s where I come in. I make stylish, branded name badges that look great at events. Instead of a pin they have a magnetic fixing so you don’t have to worry about pin holes. If your business has responsible purchasing targets to meet they also tick the ethical, green and made in Britain boxes. Badges for Life are made of sustainable solid wood, so they’re made to last and at the end of their lives they’ll biodegrade. As they’re reusable, you’ll need fewer badges over time which will save you money.
I’d love to get your feedback 🙂
Hey Vix. Given that you target a bunch of different markets, I’d actually suggest that you have a different “You know how” statement for each audience. Some people will definitely fit into the “hating of the pin” part. Some people (or companies) will be more attracted to the sustainability side of it. I’d keep the first part and just make a minor tweak:
“You know how you get given those naff badges at events? Either you’re going to get a pin hole in that new shirt or it’s going to start to unpeal into your hair throughout the day. How’s that suppossed to make a good impression when you meet these people for the first time? Well that’s where I come in. I make stylish, branded name badges that look great at events. Instead of a pin they have a magnetic fixing so you don’t have to worry about pin holes and no sticky bits to get stuck in your hair.”
Or something like that!
Then I’d write another one that says something like:
“You know how many companies have responsible purchasing targets to meet? They’re moving more and more towards ethical, green and made in Britain products. Well that’s where I come in. Our Badges for Life are made of sustainable solid wood, so they’re made to last and at the end of their lives they’ll biodegrade. As they’re reusable, you’ll need fewer badges over time which will save you money.”
Give them a go and make adjustments where necessary. You’ll learn a lot from the looks on the faces of the people you’re talking to 🙂
Thank you, I feel like I’m learning so much already. Sometimes I can’t see the wood for the trees. Really appreciate your feedback, working through your checklist is really helping me to focus on what I want to achieve now and in the future!
Here’s my first stab….
You know how athletes sometimes can’t seem to translate what they do in practice to a game situation. Their confidence dips. Their performance suffers. Anxiety kicks in and it gets worse for them. They end up repeating negative behaviours. Or perhaps they want to get to the next level but just don’t seem to able to make the step up. Well, that’s where I come in. My experience is in helping sportsmen and women get beyond what is holding them back. Finding out what really matters to them, what they are determined to change and assisting them in getting back on track with the progression they want to make. I work with them to ensure that they have all the skills and tools necessary keep moving forward and can be self-sufficient in maintaining their mental resilience.
Hey Simon! This is great. You very clearly speak out the problems of your target market in the first part of the statement. I’d maybe even replace this “They end up repeating negative behaviours” with “They get stuck in this cycle” or something like that.
Let’s see if we can get this into one sentence. “My experience is in helping sportsmen and women get beyond what is holding them back. Finding out what really matters to them, what they are determined to change and assisting them in getting back on track with the progression they want to make. I work with them to ensure that they have all the skills and tools necessary keep moving forward and can be self-sufficient in maintaining their mental resilience.”
Give it a try and come back!
You know how athletes sometimes can’t seem to translate what they do in practice to a game situation. Their confidence dips. Their performance suffers. Anxiety kicks in and it gets worse for them. They end up in a cycle that they can’t break out of. Or perhaps they want to get to the next level but just don’t seem to able to make the step up. Well, that’s where I come in. My experience is in getting beyond what is holding them back, finding out what really matters to them and using clear and simple tools to get them back on track and maintain their mental resilience.
Great, Simon! Practice saying it aloud a few times and see if you naturally start to make adjustments in how you speak it versus how you write it. I like to notice how people react to certain words and phrases.
Here’s mine :
You know how you break out in a cold sweat every time you think about writing for your own brand? Writing sometimes feels like a mountain you’re never going to be able to surmount. It’s easy to put it off till the last minute, you think, “I’ll just wait till I’m perfectly ready and then write a killer piece.” More often than not you end up rushing to do a not so great job of brand writing. Well here’s where I come in. I take on your anxieties and concerns about writing for business and brand. Together, we work out the kinks and iron out any issues you may have around writing for your brand to ensure you can write confidently and authentically about your business and brand.
Hey Nepurko! Thanks for sharing yours 🙂
I’d just suggest to shorten it up a bit and remove any duplication. Remember this is something that you’ll want to be able to say aloud, and too many words may not allow you to “get it out” so easily.
I’d also link the outputs to business outputs. What happens once someone is able to write confidently and authentically about his or her brand?
Hi Danielle! I found this so useful! Here is my first stab, please comment and give feedback 🙂 Jessica
“You know how it feels when you’re out of sorts… when, your day or your even week goes off the rails? We do have such busy lives so we’re good and grinning and bearing it, but… life would be so much easier if we got back in the zone quicker. So instead of a low key buzz, you could feel on top of the world and enjoy what life has to offer. Well, that’s where I can help. I can help you get back on track by working with you to find out what knocked you off balance in the first place. I’ll teach you techniques to thrive in your own element and stay there. Life is sweet when you’re in tune with your world.”
Hey Jessica!
This is a great first draft! Thanks for sharing with us.
One thing to bear in mind (for everyone) is that the way we write something will always be different than how we say it aloud. Try practicing yours a few times and notice if any words aren’t rolling off the tongue so well. If yes, make some adjustments.
Now, back to yours! 🙂
“You know how it feels when you’re out of sorts… when, your day or your even week goes off the rails?” – This is great!
“We do have such busy lives so we’re good and grinning and bearing it, but… life would be so much easier if we got back in the zone quicker.” – I think you’ll have to change this a little when speaking it plus keep talking to your ideal customer here. Perhaps something like ‘You have such a busy life and you’re good at grinning and bearing it, but wouldn’t it be so much easier if you could [get back into the zone] quicker?”
I put [get back into the zone] like this to ask…are these the words your ideal customer would use? Do they want to be ‘in the zone’, or ‘focused’, or ‘productive’ or something else?
Same applies for your next sentence “So instead of a low key buzz, you could feel on top of the world and enjoy what life has to offer.” Are you using their words here? Is this the result they’d want?
Then, “I can help you get back on track by working with you to find out what knocked you off balance in the first place.” Perhaps shorten to ‘We’ll discover what knocked you off balance in the first place and…’
“I’ll teach you techniques to thrive in your own element and stay there.” This, to me, is a little ambiguous. Once this person thrives in their own element, how does that tie into their initial challenge of needing to be in the zone quicker?
I hope this helps! Looking forward to another draft 🙂