Going down? Not if you practice your elevator speech!
I attended a wedding last weekend.
Much to the chagrin of my mother some and the delight of myself others, it wasn’t my own.
It was, however, a lovely, intimate event at which I knew fewer than half the guests, all of whom were “with the bride.”
Well, unless you count the groom, who I met earlier that day, and who sparked not only the topic of this post but also my career goal for the week.
(Yes, I talked shop at a wedding. I was completely justified. You’ll see!)
Once the festivities started winding down and the remaining few people were either close relatives or friends of the new couple, the groom looked at me and said:
So, I hear you’re a writer, Alicia. What do you write?
After a millisecond of sheer panic, I borrowed an answer one of my fellow freelance writer (and clever) friends spouted off once when she was faced with the same kind of question:
Well, whatever pays. *cue smile*
Of course, I couldn’t leave it at that (well, maybe I could have gotten away with it, if it hadn’t been an alcohol-free event… 
).
After he chuckled and asked if I’d ever written copy for brochures (apparently this fella both graduated from and taught “How To Have Great Conversations Even If The Person You’re Talking To Looks Like A Deer In Headlights 101″), I immediately launched into Elevator Speech Mode, which wasn’t easy – let me tell you.
I literally recalled a mental image of my services page and, after telling him that yes, I do indeed write copy for brochures, explained that I also provide writing for newsletters, pamphlets, fliers, and sales letters. I then further explained that the bulk of my clients owned websites that need lots of content on said websites.
(For some reason, that last bit is usually the easiest part for people to understand when they find out I work from home as a freelance writer.)
I could’ve given some brief info about how I’ve written product descriptions, handled article marketing campaigns, and helped clients set up blogs for their businesses, but hey – I was doing well to spout out what I did tell him and sound somewhat coherent while I did so.
Why?
Because, I hadn’t realized how long it’d been since I’d actually been asked about my job (re: that millisecond of sheer panic) – since I’d actually had to give my Elevator Speech.
Sure, there are tons of us freelance writers and editors out there. We’re neither a rare nor a dying breed. Yet, sometimes we are a mysterious one. Unless he’s known one, has been one, or has hired one, the Typical Tom doesn’t always get what we do.
This is where Elevator Speeches comes in handy.
We’ll talk more about writing an elevator speech and look at some examples of elevator speeches later, but for now I want to know: How many of you actually have an Elevator Speech? How long has it been since you’ve had to give it, or since you’ve spruced it up?
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