Thursday, November 10, 2005

Bar Functions, Trade Meetings, Networking and More -- Getting attention in 30 Seconds or Less

Getting attention in 30 Seconds or Less is published in this week's Legal Intellgencer's Young Lawyers' Supplement.

Here are someexcerptss about things you should keep in mind:

. . . . It is up to you, the attorney, to communicate what it is that you do and you need to do it in 30 seconds or less. Some call it the 30-second commercial and others call it the elevator speech or pitch.

. . . . It's a short, memorable statement that tells others who you are, what you do, who you do it for and how it benefits others. It must be easy to understand and compelling enough to leave the listener wanting to know more. . . .

Your crisp, concise, and memorable introduction must state the benefits of working with you. . . . keep it simple, short and focused. . . . [Y]ou must first, know the audience with which you will be networking and second, create different introductions for different purposes, audiences, and venues. Your introduction to prospective referring attorneys is going to be much different than your introduction to prospective clients in a particular practice area.

Ask yourself the following questions when planning how you are going to introduce yourself:

-Where am I going (venue)?
-Who is going to be there (target audience)?
-What do I want to accomplish / get across to those in attendance (key messages)?
-What are the benefits of working with you?
-Why should the listener care?

. . . . Write it down, rehearse it, and time yourself. . . .

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