"Each today, well-lived, makes yesterday a dream of happiness and each tomorrow a vision of hope. Look, therefore, to this one day, for it and it alone is life."
-- Sanskrit poem
What is an elevator pitch or speech?
Imagine that you have walked into the first floor of a multi level office building and you press the elevator button to go up to the tenth floor. The elevator arrives, the doors open, you and four other people walk onto the elevator. As you begin to ascend, someone on the elevator greets you and asks where you are headed. What do you say?
This is where an elevator pitch becomes an important piece of your business building strategy. It is important that you are able to communicate clearly, concisely and confidently who you are, what you do and who you do it for. Don't be fooled by the thought of the location of the pitch. Even though this brief statement is developed with the notion of being in an elevator, there are many locations where you get a short window to give your pitch.
While it is a standard thought that you have 30 seconds to give your pitch on an elevator ride,I have a different thought about this. In today's environment of smartphones, mp3 systems and other personal technology devices, you have about 10 seconds to capture the other person's interest before they begin to think about looking at their phone or they get that glazed over look of disinterest. You have a small window and a few seconds to make the moment count.
Tip to Prepare Your Elevator Speech:
Develop a relevant and targeted pitch that describes your business is practicing your pitch out loud, regularly. Practice in front of the mirror with family and friends. You should know your pitch like you know your home address. Become intimately familiar with your pitch.
Your pitch should include the value you would bring to any client considering doing business with you, or even referring your business to their colleagues and friends. Individuals are looking for the "what's in it for me" statement in your pitch. The thing that resonates with them. '
Prepare for questions with succinct answers. Nailing your pitch is one thing, but what happens if your prospect asks a question that is outside or opposite of what you stated in your pitch? Work through developing answers for opposing questions which your prospect just may ask.
Remember that your pitch is not all about it. It is more about who you provide your service to, their problem and your solution. Minimize highlighting your credentials. Remember, you have about ten seconds to capture their attention.
Let the passion show. Even with all the practice and preparation, you should not deliver your pitch like a rehearsed or memorized script. Let your passion come through and be yourself. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Even though you are pitching your business service to them they want to know that you care.
You can develop your elevator pitch my answering these questions.
What service do you provide?
Who do you provide the service for?
What is your prospect/target's problem?
What is your solution for their problem?
What you want to be known for?
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As founder of the Woman Entrepreneur's Mentor, Cheryl Pullins helps women entrepreneurs leverage resources to grow their business, increase their profit and upgrade their lifestyle. You can connect with Cheryl at http://www.iMentorWomen.com.
In this day and age we are so inundated with choice and opportunity that you might even say that we are spoiled for choice. There is just so much that we could do that we often end up not doing anything at all. Procrastination is one of the biggest dream killers. In a world where there is so much demand on your attention it is becoming ever more difficult to stay focussed and act on the things that would truly give you an extraordinary quality of life. Time is, was and will always be your most valuable asset and the way you use it will determine what you create or fail to create with and for your life. Having an effective strategy for overcoming procrastination is critical if you truly want to push past short term obstacles to create a life of fulfilment.
The abundance that modern life offers us tends to overwhelm us which leads to an emotional overload that will distract you and scatter your effort and concentration. There simply isn't enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time for the most important things in your life. Success at anything in life, whether it be your finances, your relationships or your body, requires an investment of time and effort from you. You need to focus and concentrate your physical and emotional resources on creating a desired result.
The first step in overcoming procrastination it to get really clear on exactly what you want from every area of your life. This clarity will give you the power to look past distractions that may throw you off course. It gives you a direction and a target and will help to build a mental picture for your life. One of the most destructive effects of procrastination is that it makes you feel out of control; like the events of your life is controlling you. If you don't know what you want it is all too easy to jump from the one task to the next. Apart from knowing what you want you should also develop some strong reasons why you want it. This will give you a sense of purpose and motivation that is critical for staying focussed long term.
The truth is that most people know what they need to do to create their life the way they want it. The challenge is not with knowing what to do, but in doing what you know. The only way you will create any result in your life is by taking action and procrastination is what prevents you from acting on the very things you know would give you a greater quality of life. The reason why people procrastinate is primarily because of fear, especially fear of failure. By not taking action and postponing important actions you avoid the potential for failing. The only reason why you procrastinate about anything is because at some level you link more pain to taking action than to not taking action. The ridiculous truth is that these "links" are mostly conjured up (by you) in your mind and they are not even real. When you make a task too big in your mind it will overwhelm you and it would seem too difficult and too big and you will end up procrastinating.
One of the most powerful strategies for overcoming procrastination is to learn how to break your tasks up into bite size pieces. Any task, no matter how big can be broken down into small manageable tasks that is easy to do. If you focus on climbing Mount Everest it will probably put you off immediately, but if you focus on climbing seven small mountain sections it becomes more believable. The power of chunking down your "big" tasks empowers you to take back control of any overwhelming situation – you cut it down to size. Your size.
One of the quickest ways to overcoming procrastination is to learn and utilize the power of immediacy. What can you do immediately? What action can you take right now that will move you closer to your goal? Doing something, no matter how small, will immediately break your mental pattern of procrastination and put you back in control. Taking the first step, even if it is small will create momentum and you will almost automatically be driven to take another step. Don't wait for everything to be perfect before you take the first step. Just do it. Just get it going. Often you will only know what to do next after taking that first step.
There are many strategies and skills you can use for overcoming procrastination. You do not have to be stuck or spinning your wheels. Like any skill you need to learn and practise it until you get good at it. Eventually it will become an automatic response and you will develop the habit of taking action despite your fears and apparent limitations.
This article is published with the permission of the author, Deon Du Plessis. He is the founder of The Self Improvement Gym, and author (in)action, a groundbreaking new action guide for eliminating procrastination.
Lately, I've become intrigued by the idea or process of "alchemy." Funk & Wagnall tells me alchemy is a transformation, "a change in nature, form or quality." So how to take charge of your own personal alchemy? For me, it's about changes and transformations of mind, body and spirit. Therefore, in this article I've outlined three of my favorite ways to approach personal alchemy on the path to wholeness and health.
Step One: Dissect A Past Transformation:
It's easy to feel overwhelmed when thinking about the process of making a personal overhaul. Therefore, it's important to break this idea down to its least common denominator. To begin, recall if you can a positive transformation you've made in your life. It could be as simple as beginning and staying with an exercise program. In your mind locate and focus on one specific personal transformation.
Next, break down your transformation into its components: mind, body and spirit. I tend to look at everything in this tri-fold sense. I believe it is important to see the way a particular event contributes to the growth of each component. Right now, take a moment to observe the ways each of these components have contributed to your transformation:
Mind: Was your mind committed to making this positive change?
Body: What daily actions did it take to make this personal transformation effective and permanent?
Spirit: Was there a spiritual component at hand guiding you toward your positive goal?
Related article Change by Choice
Step Two: Begin The Uncovering Process:
Now that you've dissected a previous transformation, the uncovering process is simple. This process asks you to take some time with your journal and uncover a new personal transformation you would like to experience. With pen in hand, take time to make notes to yourself. Start small. What transformations would you like to make this year? Do some dreaming.
When you've finished, scan your list for one worthwhile goal that is achievable. If you are unable to commit to one on your list, try these ideas to complete your uncovering:
According to Louise Hay in her book "You Can Heal Your Life" these components will help you live a holistic, healthy life. Perhaps one may inspire you toward a worthwhile goal.
Nurture The Body: Practice sound nutrition. Aim to make the best choices for your body and choose food and beverages that make you feel well. When appropriate supplement with herbs, vitamins and homeopathy.
Practice a sound exercise program. Find a form of exercise that is appealing to you and is one that you will do. Choose from: aerobic exercise, resistance training, tai chi, yoga or Pilates. When appropriate use body work such as massage or reiki.
Nurture The Mind: Add to your daily practice, visualization, guided imagery, affirmations or dream work. Spiritual meditation is also a great way to quiet the mind and allow time to tune in to the divine.
Nurture The Spirit: Find time to practice prayer work, meditation, forgiveness and unconditional love.
Related Article: The Potential of change
Step Three: Find Answers In The Silence: Then Take Your Goals One By One
We can't possibly do everything. For as someone once told me "you have only, all the time there is." With this in mind, I am brought back to my earliest ideas about personal alchemy. This involves one of the most difficult, yet necessary practices: finding time for silence. Finding time is the challenge I most often face when looking at my own personal growth and aiming to find ways to simplify and speed up the process.
Silence. Why does it work? From a physics or scientific standpoint, the electrons within the molecules of the body actually speed up when the body slows down. It seems difficult to understand at first, but the key is its reciprocal process. When the body slows down, the energy surrounding the body and passing through the body speeds up, literally directing the body: instructing it.
Grace, balance and growth are often natural extensions of this process. When you take some time to be still and offer your goal up to the universe, you can then become aware of the divine direction. To do this, try to first become aware of your surroundings. Then aim to find time each day to move toward your worthwhile goal. Keep it close to your heart. Know that there are many distractions in life, but if you take time to rest and stop for one moment, it could be the moment you will receive your greatest inspiration.
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Author unknown.
When in doubt, there's always help! For a creative boost and further direction in your discovery process, please explore these sources:
The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity By Julia Cameron.
Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential by Caroline Myss.
"Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands, but like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you reach your destiny."
Carl Schurz
ABC, Follow Me!
: Phonics Rhymes and Crafts Grades K-1
by Linda Armstrong
Help children with the sounds of letters (phonemic awareness) with this useful book. It also helps them
recognize and differentiate letter symbols.
The lessons are easy-to-implement and correlated to national standards. Included in the book are original, instructional, reproducible black line masters! Crafts are age-appropriate and inexpensive, created with materials most teachers have on hand. >>> http://bit.ly/r0DW58
Sing You Home
Jodi Picoult
After Zoe and Max's last attempt to conceive fails tragically, their marriage breaks apart. When Zoe falls in love again and considers having a family, she remembers that there are still frozen embryos that were never used. But who do they really belong to? An honest and moving story of contemporary relationships and the consequences when love and desire collide with science and the law.
More (plus the trailer) here => http://bit.ly/oREe9n
"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."
-- Denis Waitley
