How to Become a Successful
30 Second
Business Networking
SuperStar
Michael R Dougherty
-
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 Michael R Dougherty
www.instant-persuasive-speaking.com
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Table of Contents
Dedication
Special Acknowledgment
About the Author
Introduction by Michael R Dougherty
How Boring Can They Be?
The Power of 3
4 Terrifying Words
3 Questions You Want to Hear
Why Most Elevator Speeches Are Boring
Creating Your Attention Grabbing Elevator Speech
One Announcement That Makes You Want to Hide
Creating Your Powerful Magnetic Introduction
One Thing You Must Include
A Final Word
Book Michael R Dougherty As A Speaker Or Coach

I said yes, but I had no idea what to say, so I quickly thought about how the local radio
DJs introduced their songs and I tried to use that style.
After I introduced the 3rd song, I looked over to the side of the stage and noticed that
there were 3 or 4 girls standing there looking up at me. Then one of them motioned for
me to come over.
My first thought was that these girls wanted to request a song, or dedicate a song to
someone. But this is what she said
"Mike, we like the songs you're playing and we really like what you say between the
songs. You should do this every Saturday."
Wow! 12 years old and I already had groupies.
.
Flash forward 6 years
There I was at the ripe old age of 18, standing in front of a television camera, ready to
host my first live television broadcast.
The program was called "The Varsity Show" and it was a long-running, local teen dance
program that offered high school students the opportunity to work behind the scenes and
in front of the camera.
The regular host was a popular local radio DJ who was out of town that week. But instead
of having another DJ host that week's show, they decided to have 4 of the high school
staff each host 15 minutes of the program.
Everyone that was chosen to host a segment was an on-camera staff member - except me
- I was behind the scenes, on the camera crew. But that was about to change.
Even though I had never been in front of the camera before, I was chosen to host the final
15 minutes of the show.
Imagine being just 18 years old and having someone tell you that you were going to host
a very popular TV show - and it was live.
My first reaction was surprise at being one of the 4 hosts. I was a behind-the-scenes guy,
part of the camera crew.
When my 15 minutes arrived, and the stage manager gave me my cue - I looked right into
the camera lens and started speaking to it like that lens was my friend.

How Boring Can They Be?
Like you, I've been to a lot of gatherings where they go around the room and everyone
has the opportunity to introduce themselves and their business.
But after only about 3 so called introductions, I'm usually wishing that someone would
inject the anesthetic novacaine into my brain to numb me from the pain of having to
listen to the other 20 people in the room as they drone on and on and on.
It's not that my expectations are too high - it's that the introductions tend to be incredibly
boring.
Person after person just sits there, or maybe they stand while they say their name in an
uninteresting monotone and then go on and on about their company, products or services.
They conclude by saying they want to give you their brochure and/or business card after
the meeting. That is - if they remembered to bring their business cards.
Yes, once in a while someone does manage to stand tall, speak up and maybe even make
you laugh, but let's face it - that person is rare indeed.
And when was the last time you actually wanted to follow up with someone at one of
these gatherings because of their introduction?
Not very often.
How boring can it get? I'm not a betting man, but I'd be willing to bet that as hard as you
might try to pay attention to everyone as they introduce themselves and their businesses,
you'd probably have a hard time remembering 3 people that you didn't know before.
Why?
Because of their boring introductions you're probably thinking about 2 things.
How hard the seats are, whether or not the speaker is going to be boring and if you're
going to have to suffer through the speakers 300 Power Point slides filled with tiny
unreadable print - ugh.
.
Besides the seemingly never ending introductions, if you're brave enough to ask someone
“what they do” or “what company their with” odds are you'll end up either getting an
answer you don't understand, don't care about, or one that goes on for ever.
Some time ago, after a long drive, I arrived early at a hotel where I was attending a

By creating an attention grabbing elevator speech you'll start seeing an increase in the
number of people who'll want to know more about your products and services and
actually ask for your business card. So make sure you have your business cards with you
- and handy at all times.
.
The second is your 30 second introduction
At networking gatherings, Chamber of Commerce meetings and business lunches, they
often go around the room so that everyone can introduce themselves and say a few words
about their business.
This is an excellent opportunity for you to stand out from the crowd with your powerful,
magnetic introduction - one that people will actually remember.
The third is to actually do presentations to groups about your products and services
While this is by far the best way to get more clients and customers, doing presentations
requires much more than 30 seconds, so it's also a topic that I'll cover in another book and
CD.
Now let's look at creating your attention grabbing elevator speech and your magnetic
introduction so you can become a 30 Second SuperStar.
4 Terrifying Words
What are 4 words you want to hear, but when you hear them, they can make you very
nervous?
Not long ago I attended a presentation where the speaker asked a man in the audience to
come up on stage and answer some questions about his business. The man's response was
not a pretty picture.
The speaker looked at the man and asked the 4 terrifying words - “What do you do?”
Her question prompted the man to fidget and stammer as he tried to find the answer. He
finally came up with something like “I find the cohesive formula and forecast quarterly
trends for target accounting that relates to projection data for small businesses.”
Of course that's not what he actually said, but my creative re-telling is every bit as
confusing as what he really said - and no one in the room, including him, will ever be
able to recall his exact words.

“How do you do that?”
Answering the second question in a dynamic way will prompt a third question.
“May I have your business card?”
Why Most Elevator Speeches Are Boring
For the few who have actually come up with an elevator speech, most are fairly basic and
uninspired - ok, their boring.
The typical elevator speech is around 30 seconds long. Here's how it works.
Let's say that John is at a network gathering and he spots Mary standing across the room.
John walks over, introduces himself to Mary and then asks “what do you do?” Being a
smart marketer, Mary has her elevator speech all worked out and answers John's question
like this.
“John I'm glad you asked me. I work for Ron's Custom Bedroom Furnishings and we
have a wonderful selection of bed frames, headboards and accessories, but we're also
very proud to offer the complete line of “Sleep on a Cloud mattresses”. And as you may
know, Sleep on a Cloud mattresses are guaranteed to give you the best nights sleep
you've ever had.”
Mary continues her elevator speech.
“Now John, if you'll give me your business card I'll be happy to send you a brochure and
then call you to set up an appointment so that you can visit our show room.”
Notice how Mary's elevator speech gave John a quick overview of the business she's
representing, and that she worked in a request for John's business card and an invitation
for her to call him and to set up an appointment.
But there are several problems with Mary's elevator speech.
First, her description of the business she represents is factual but boring. Her description
didn't give John a reason to get interested in hearing more. Her elevator speech is just like
everyone elses. It simply doesn't stand out. She's selling the features and not the results.
Secondly, Mary asked John for his card and his permission for her to call him and to set
up an appointment. You might think that's a good thing, but it's not and here's why.
Wouldn't it be 100% better if John was interested enough to ask Mary for her business
card so he could follow up?

can save someone's life. When someone asks you what you do, you can answer by saying
- “I save lives.”
When you make a short and attention grabbing statement like that, you KNOW the
person you're talking with is going to ask “how do you do that?”
And they are going to WANT to listen to your answer.
When asked what they do, a financial planner might use this -
“I give you peace of mind.”
A restaurant owner might use this attention grabbing answer -
“I serve happiness”
Imagine a florist answering “What do you do” with this -
“I brighten up everyone's day.”
The idea is to come up with a short answer that represents the core result when someone
uses your product or service. And to keep in mind that the goal of your answer is to make
the person you're talking with ask you “how do you do that?” In other words, they
actually WANT to know what you do.
It's easy to see how using a short, attention grabbing answer will cause people to not only
pay attention to what you have to say, but to actually want to know more. Especially
when everyone else in the room is droning on and on in the same old uninteresting way.
One Announcement That Makes You Want To Hide
How many times have you heard -
“Lets go around the room and have everyone introduce themselves and tell us about your
company.”
Just about every networking gathering offers the attendees the opportunity to introduce
themselves tell everyone about their business and make special announcements.
Unfortunately, everyone will find themselves suffering through most of the introductions
for one simple reason. 99% of the introductions will be given in a monotone voice by
someone who means well, but has no idea what makes an introduction interesting.
Think about the introductions you hear when you attend a professional get together.
Do these 4 problems sound familiar?
Delivered in a soft-spoken, barely audible voice

the name of their business and maybe a weak pitch to get your business. But you'll stand
out head and shoulders above everyone else because your powerful, magnetic
introduction will have everyone WANTING to hear what you have to say.
Remember how we put together your attention grabbing elevator speech? Now lets use
some of those techniques to create your powerful, magnetic introduction.
By starting with either a powerful statement or a question, you'll automatically grab your
audience's attention - just like a magnet. Especially when your audience has had to listen
to all those other boring introductions.
Let's say that our fictional character John represents an Ambulance company. John could
start his introduction this way.
“I save lives Good morning, I'm John Smith and every day Smith Ambulance service is
dispatched to medical emergencies to save lives by transporting your loved ones to
medical facilities quickly and safely when seconds count.”
Notice the powerful statement “I save lives” is the first thing John said, even before
introducing himself.
Why?
To get the attention of everyone in the room. Like a magnet, “I save lives” pulls everyone
in so they're with you 100%.
Then notice that right after John introduces himself and his company, he quickly tells
everyone exactly how he saves lives. And notice that he says “by transporting your loved
ones.” That statement personalizes his introduction and speaks directly to everyone in the
room.
When addressing any gathering, always do this - look at you entire audience, but speak to
them as if they are one person.
So instead of saying “how many of you would like to make more money?” you address
the gathering as just one person by looking at everyone and saying “how would YOU like
to make more money?”
Imagine attending a presentation where the speaker always uses the phrase “how many of
you have done this?” or “can I see a show of hands, how many of you have ever seen this
happen?”

Ask your questions by looking at your entire audience, but speak to them as if they are
one person.
How do you come up with a powerful statement or question to begin your introductions?
First, answer these 2 questions -
What is the core of your business? What is the result of using your product or service?
As a result of using your product or services, will your clients or customers:
Be safer
Have more money
Feel better
Look better
Be more healthy
Be happier
Smell better
Be more attractive to the opposite sex
Feel cool and hip
Have less stress
Enjoy something more
Remember, everyone in your audience is thinking the same thing - WIIFM
Whats In It For Me?
So you must always tell them about the core of your business or the results of using your
product or services. When you answer WIIFM, people will want to know more about
your business.
Keep your powerful magnetic introduction fresh and surprising.
If you continue to use the same introduction time after time on the same audience, your
audience will start to drift away, but when you create several introductions, you'll get
another benefit - your audience will be waiting to hear what you have to say.
I look around the room to see who's in the audience, and then I decide which introduction
to use. Overusing an introduction will back fire because your audience will start tuning
out.
Now what about using humor in your introductions ?

your wife. When it come from your heart, it's you best.
Why is that?
In a word - “passion.”
Anything that you're passionate about is going to be your best. And when it comes to
creating your elevator speech and your introduction, if you don't create them from your
heart, they'll just be empty words. And if they're empty words, they won't work, because
your audience has to feel your passion before they can become interested and excited
about what you have to say.
.
There are two famous speeches that we hear about all the time. One is the Martin Luther
King Jr. “I Have A Dream” speech and the other is President John F. Kennedy's “Ask not
what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
Both are remembered because they came from the heart and were filled with passion.
Do you want your elevator speech to be an attention grabbing presentation that makes
someone WANT to ask for more information, and for your business card?
Do you want your introduction to be a powerful magnetic tool that makes your audience
want to know more?
Then you must create them from your heart so that the passion in your presentation will
capture the heart of your audience.
What's the one thing you must include?
Passion for your subject. Because that passion will show and will touch hearts.
A Final Word
Do you see how and why this simple, easy-to-use system for creating an attention
grabbing elevator speech and a powerful magnetic introduction works?
First, you'll be a stand out in a sea of people who don't have an elevator speech and have
a very hard time just answering the question “what do you do.” While others struggle
with the question, your answer will be a very pleasant surprise that actually makes them
want to know more. And yes, you'll have people asking for your business card.
And when it's time for those introductions that put everyone to sleep, your powerful,
magnetic introduction will make them sit up and take notice. And they'll want to see you

.
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